Derek Bell vs Bob Wollek

Derek Bell and Bob Wollek at the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans: Bell led in a McLaren until a clutch failure, while Wollek drove the Courage C34 to third place.

Derek Bell and Bob Wollek were both prominent drivers at the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans. Bell drove a McLaren F1 GTR for the DPR team, while Wollek drove a Courage C34 for Courage Compétition.

Quick Facts

Derek bell wins: 5 (1975, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1987)
Key teams: Porsche vs. Renault/Sauber-Mercedes
Bell pole positions: None at Le Mans in 1974 or 1982

Lore & Background

In the 1995 race, Derek Bell drove the DPR McLaren F1 GTR, leading for over eight hours until a broken clutch stopped the car at 3am. He later had to race with a deteriorating gearbox, losing five minutes at the penultimate fuel stop trying to get the car into gear. Bob Wollek drove the Courage C34, which started third on the grid. After the car was delayed by rain and later lost six laps when Mario Andretti spun avoiding a backmarker, Wollek helped bring the Courage back up to third by the end of the race, getting onto the lead lap in the last hour but finishing three-quarters of a lap behind the winning McLaren.