Derek Bell Archives

Derek Bell

Derek Bell initially made a name for himself, racing in open-wheeled cars including Formula 2 and Formula 1. However, it is long-distance sports car racing, particularly in Porsches, where Bell forged his legacy as a champion with five overall victories at Le Mans, three victories in the 24 Hours of...

Featured Content & Premium Editorials

Triple Treat—Andial’s 1981 Hat Trick

As Rolf Stommelen climbed behind the wheel of the front-running Andial/Meister Porsche 935K3 after co-driver Derek Bell had pitted to refuel and take on four new tires, rising American star Bobby Rahal found himself leading Mid-Ohio’s $50,000-to-win “all-comers” Lumbermens 500 in the Group 6 Red Roof Inns Ralt RT-2 he...

Book Reviews

Book Review: Racing Porsche with Style

Racing Porsche with Style © Stéphane Coradi This is Stéphane Coradi’s third publication, and the third of his books that I am reviewing. It must be said that Stéphane’s enthusiasm for his work is so irrepressible, it’s contagious. But that is refreshing, because he really encourages the contributors to show...

Porsche Video

VIDEO: Porsche Triple Victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1982

With the dawning of the 1982 season, the introduction of the Group C era ushered in a new breed of closed race cars that conformed to an 800kg minimum weight requirement amongst a host of other dimensional and fuel consumption regulations. In many ways, Group C which rand for more...

Porsche 935

The many lives of the 935 K3/80 Red Baron

Kremer Porsche 935 K3/80 (chassis #0013) In the mid-70s, Porsche developed the 935 model, a race car homologated on the 930 road car and aimed at the Group 5 ‘silhouette’ series created by the FIA for the 1976 season. As the records will show, the 935 was a formidable race...

Book Reviews

Book Review: Le Mans: The Official History 1970–79

Le Mans: The Official History 1970–79 by Quentin Spurring © Virtual Motorpix/Glen Smale This edition of Quentin Spurring’s fabulous series covers the 1970s in his well-known and valuable decade-by-decade history of the Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race. The decade from 1970 to 1979, certainly saw some of the most...

Featured Content & Premium Editorials

Taking the Porsche 919 Hybrid around the world – Logistics Part III

WEC Silverstone 6 Hour, 18 April 2014: Maiden outing for the #20 Porsche 919 Hybrid driven by Mark Webber/Timo Bernhard/Brendon Hartley. This is the car during the FP1 session Following a fifteen-year absence from the top tier of prototype racing on the world stage, Porsche officially returned to the LMP1...

Motorsport & Racing

Porsche and the Triple Crown of endurance racing

Le Mans 24 Hours, 13-14 June 1970: A jubilant Hans Herrmann and Richard Attwood are given a ride on the back of a truck as they celebrate Porsche’s first victory in the French endurance race There are three Sports Car endurance races that have been run over the past sixty-plus...

Porsche 962 Porsche History Porsche 956 PRR

Porsche 956/962 remembered

The ‘white, red and blue’ 956 LHs line up at Weissach ready for their onslaught at the Le Mans 24-Hour 1982 The decline of Group 6 and the growth of Group C saw the emergence of what is today widely regarded as the most entertaining and successful era in modern...

Book Reviews

Gulf 917 by Jay Gillotti

Gulf 917 by Jay Gillotti – © Dalton Watson Fine Books There is little that you can add to the vast history that is already known about the Porsche 917, or so you might have thought. But the quietly spoken Jay Gillotti, has pieced together a valuable and mightily useful...

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Jägermeister 934 – the Professional Hunter

Jägermeister Porsche 934 chassis #930 670 0167 The Jägermeister 934 is one of the most recognisable liveries in the world of motor racing. It adorned the bodies of some of the great race cars in the 1970s and 1980s, and irrespective of whether the car won a race or not,...

Events

Porsche Rennsport Reunion VI – Laguna Seca 2018

It’s hard to know where to begin when writing a report on Porsche Rennsport Reunion VI. It was both an emotional and a sensory overload! A reunion with people not seen for a while, and the historical impact of all the rare cars. This was the sixth iteration put on...

Book Reviews

Book Review: Derek Bell – All my Porsche races

A great many of Derek Bell’s racing achievements were achieved while behind the wheel of a Porsche racing car and for this reason, it was perhaps inevitable that Derek Bell – All my Porsche races, would one day be committed to print, highlighting his extraordinarily successful career. Contrary to what...

Le Mans Classic

Le Mans Classic Racing Roundup

Le Mans Classic, 6-8 July 2018: Grid 6 – The #10 Porsche 935 K3 (1979) was driven by Nicolas D’Ieteren/P. Lalmand and finished fifth overall in class It is unique in the motor racing world, and in historic racing circles, nothing comes close to the quality and quantity of machinery...

Le Mans Classic

Sunny 2018 Le Mans Classic – Saturday

Porsche 356 Carrera GTL Abarth on 05/07/2018 at the Le Mans Classic, 2018 Although the temperatures have hovered around the 30° C mark each day of the event, it feels a lot warmer as a sunny 2018 Le Mans Classic got underway. As the clock ticked past noon on Friday,...

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Porsche at Le Mans Part IV: 1972 to 1981

#5 Porsche 908/3 – Juan Fernandez/Francesco Torredemer/Eugenio Baturone – NRF The 1972 season broke, ushering in with it a new era of racing. The Porsche 917 had reigned supreme for two years, but the race authorities (read FIA) had had their fill of Porsche interpreting the rules their way, and...

Notable Chassis

Works Porsche (Chassis #962-006)

Rothmans Porsche 962C (chassis #006) 1987 Le Mans 24 Hour winner photographed at Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, May 2017 The Porsche 956 and its successor the 962, are widely and justifiably regarded as the most successful sports racing prototypes of their era, and quite possibly ever. Over a period of...

Porsche Video

VIDEO: Porsche 917 – the Legend

1970 Porsche 917K Gulf, Goodwood Festival of Speed 2007

The video shows the Porsche 917 in action driven by Derek Bell. It also contains some period footage of an interview with Brian Redman and Derek Bell explaining the car in detail....

Porsche News

Simeone Museum’s 10th Annual “Spirit of Competition” Award

The Simeone Foundation Auto Museum, this week, announced their annual Spirit of Competition award winner. The Spirit of Competition represents the most prestigious award conferred by the Foundation. Each year, a distinguished figure from motorsports who has a specific inspirational message, is selected to receive this award. Derek Bell, Goodwood...

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