Derek Bell (racing driver)
Nation: | United Kingdom | ||||||||
Automobile world championship | |||||||||
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First start: | 1968 Italian Grand Prix | ||||||||
Last start: | 1974 German Grand Prix | ||||||||
Constructors | |||||||||
1968 Ferrari 1969 McLaren 1970 Tom Wheatcroft Racing 1970–1971 Team Surtees 1972 Tecno 1974 Surtees | |||||||||
statistics | |||||||||
World Cup balance: | WM-22. ( 1970 ) | ||||||||
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World Cup points : | 1 | ||||||||
Podiums : | - | ||||||||
Leadership laps : | - |
Derek Reginald Bell , MBE (born October 31, 1941 in Pinner , Middlesex , England ) is a retired British automobile racing driver .
Career
Monoposto
Derek Bell began his career in 1964 on a Lotus Seven , with which he competed in club races in Great Britain. A year later he moved to the British Formula 3 Championship and became a teammate of Peter Westbury at Church Farm Racing . The racing team was owned by Bernard Hendler, Bell's stepfather.
With Hendler's financial help, Bell entered the Formula 2 European Championship in 1968 . With a Brabham BT23 he performed so well that the Ferrari team management noticed him. Bell was offered a work contract that led him to Formula 1 . With the Ferrari Dino 166 F2 he finished fourth in 1968 and fifth in the European Championship in 1969. At the end of 1968 he made his debut in the Formula 1 World Championship. At the Italian Grand Prix in Monza , Scuderia's home race, Bell started with the Ferrari 312F1 , but had to end the race prematurely after problems with the fuel pump. He did not finish in the USA either.
After Scuderia withdrew from Formula 2, Bell lost his works contract. Several years followed in which he tried in vain to gain a long-term foothold in Formula 1. In 1970 he was runner-up in the Formula 2 European Championship and took sixth place in the Watkins Glen, the only point in the drivers' world championship. The commitment for the Surtees team was typical of Bell's involvement in Formula 1. He was only used as a substitute driver who was quickly available. In the USA he drove the Surtees TS7 , with which he qualified for the race at Silverstone a year later .
At the end of 1974, after three non-qualifications in a row, he finally turned his back on Formula 1. Although Bell continued to drive monoposto, especially races in the Formula 5000 and Formula Atlantic , the Brit's main focus was now on sports and touring cars.
Racing car
At the same time as Formula 2, Bell competed in sports car races from the late 1960s. In 1970 he made his debut in a Ferrari 512S at the 24 Hours of Le Mans . When he drove his last race on the Sarthe in 1996, it was his 26th start. Over the years he has developed into one of the best sports car drivers in motorsport history. In 1975 he celebrated his first success at Le Mans alongside Jacky Ickx . In the same year, with three successes in the Alfa Romeo Tipo 33, he made a significant contribution to winning the World Championship for the Italian brand. When he became a works driver at Porsche in 1981 , series victories followed. For Porsche, he achieved four more successes in Le Mans and, alongside Ickx, was considered a specialist in the Porsche 962 . Twice, in 1985 and 1986, he won the world sports car championship driver's title. Bell was hired by the Bentley team for the Le Mans race in 2001 .
Bell comments on Formula 1 races and advises Porsche. His son Justin Bell is also a racing driver; he drove with him in the 1992 and 1995 24-hour races at Le Mans.
statistics
Le Mans results
year | team | vehicle | Teammate | Teammate | placement | Failure reason |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1970 | Ferrari SEFAC Spa | Ferrari 512S | Ronnie Peterson | failure | Engine failure | |
1971 | John Wyer Automotive | Porsche 917LH | Joseph Siffert | failure | crankshaft | |
1972 | Ecurie Francorchamps | Ferrari 365 GTB / 4 | Teddy Pilette | Richard Bond | Rank 8 | |
1973 | Gulf Research Racing | Mirage M6 | Howden Ganley | failure | Oil pump | |
1974 | Gulf Research Racing | Gulf GR7 | Mike Hailwood | Rank 4 | ||
1975 | Gulf Research Racing | Gulf GR8 | Jacky Ickx | Overall victory | ||
1976 | Grand Touring Cars Inc. | Mirage GR8 | Vern Schuppan | Rank 5 | ||
1977 | Team Renault Sport | Alpine A442 | Jean-Pierre Jabouille | failure | Engine failure | |
1978 | Team Renault Sport | Alpine A442 | Jean-Pierre Jarier | failure | differential | |
1979 | Grand Touring Cars Inc. | Ford M10 | Vern Schuppan | David Hobbs | failure | Gearbox damage |
1980 | Porsche System Engineering | Porsche 924 Carrera | Al Holbert | Rank 13 | ||
1981 | Porsche System Engineering | Porsche 936 | Jacky Ickx | Overall victory | ||
1982 | Rothmans Porsche AG | Porsche 956 | Jacky Ickx | Overall victory | ||
1983 | Rothmans Porsche AG | Porsche 956 | Jacky Ickx | Rank 2 | ||
1985 | Rothmans Porsche AG | Porsche 962 C. | Hans-Joachim Stuck | Rank 3 | ||
1986 | Rothmans Porsche AG | Porsche 962C | Hans-Joachim Stuck | Al Holbert | Overall victory | |
1987 | Rothmans Porsche AG | Porsche 962C | Hans-Joachim Stuck | Al Holbert | Overall victory | |
1988 | Porsche AG | Porsche 962C | Hans-Joachim Stuck | Klaus Ludwig | Rank 2 | |
1989 | Richard Lloyd Racing | Porsche 962C GTI | James Weaver | Tiff Needell | failure | Fire |
1990 | Joest Racing | Porsche 962C | Hans-Joachim Stuck | Frank Jelinski | Rank 4 | |
1991 | Joest Racing | Porsche 962C | Hans-Joachim Stuck | Frank Jelinski | Rank 7 | |
1992 | ADA engineering | Porsche 962C GTI | Justin Bell | Tiff Needell | Rank 12 | |
1993 | Courage Compétition | Courage C30 | Lionel Robert | Pascal Fabre | Rank 10 | |
1994 | Gulf Oil Racing | Kremer K8 Spyder | Robin Donovan | Jürgen Lässig | Rank 6 | |
1995 | Harrods Mach One Racing | McLaren F1 GTR | Justin Bell | Andy Wallace | Rank 3 | |
1996 | Harrods Mach One Racing | McLaren F1 GTR | Olivier Grouillard | Andy Wallace | Rank 6 |
Sebring results
year | team | vehicle | Teammate | Teammate | Teammate | placement | Failure reason |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1971 | JW Automotive Engineering Ltd. | Porsche 917K | Joseph Siffert | Rank 5 | |||
1972 | Gulf Research Racing Company | Mirage M6 | Gijs van Lennep | failure | differential | ||
1980 | Red Lobster Racing | BMW M1 | Dave Cowart | Kenper Miller | Rank 25 | ||
1981 | Bob Akin Motor Racing | Porsche 935K3 | Bob Akin | Craig Siebert | failure | Engine failure | |
1982 | Bob Akin Motor Racing | Porsche 935K3 / 80 | Bob Akin | Craig Siebert | Rank 12 | ||
1983 | Henn's Swap Shop Racing | Porsche 935L | Michael Andretti | John Paul Junior | failure | Engine failure | |
1984 | Henn's Swap Shop Racing | Porsche 935L | AJ Foyt | Bob Wollek | Rank 3 | ||
1985 | Holbert Racing | Porsche 962 | Al Holbert | Al our junior | Rank 2 | ||
1986 | Holbert Racing | Porsche 962 | Al Holbert | Al our junior | Rank 3 | ||
1989 | Momo Gebhardt Racing | Porsche 962 | Giampiero Moretti | Michael Roe | Massimo Sigala | Rank 4 | |
1993 | Momo | Nissan NPT-90 | Giampiero Moretti | John Paul Junior | Rank 2 | ||
1994 | Auto toy store | Spice SE89 | James Weaver | Andy Wallace | Rank 2 and class win | ||
1995 | Auto toy store | Spice SE90 | Jan Lammers | Andy Wallace | Rank 2 | ||
1996 | Champion Porsche | Porsche 911 Turbo | John Fergus | Rank 9 | |||
1998 | Matthews-Colucci Racing | Riley & Scott Mk III | David Murry | Jim Matthews | Hurley Haywood | failure | Engine failure |
Individual results in the sports car world championship
Web links
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Bell, Derek |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Bell, Derek Reginald |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British racing driver |
DATE OF BIRTH | October 31, 1941 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Pinner , Middlesex , England , UK |