Motorsport: Derek Bell, nice guy who finished first

Derek Bell (inset, in 1983) reckons Porsche's 962 could hold its own against the latest models. Photos / File

David Linklater celebrates the life and times of a congenial champion

The most famous works Porsche racing driver? Perhaps. If the public persona counts for anything, he's certainly one of the nicest. Legendary British driver Derek Bell celebrated his 70th birthday on October 31.

Bell began his racing career in a Lotus Seven in 1964, graduating through Formula 3 and then Formula 2 in a Brabham BT23C. He caught the eye of the Formula 1 world and in 1969 raced both a Ferrari and the McLaren M9A - both in British events.

During his Formula 1 career, he drove for Tom Wheatcroft Racing (Brabham), Team Surtees and Martini Racing Team (Tecno).

But Bell became best-known as a sports car racer - especially for Porsche. For the 1971 season, Bell drove the 917 and 908/03 racing cars for the Porsche-Gulf team, forming a successful duo with Jo Siffert.

This was followed by appearances in the Porsche 934 and 935 in 1976 and 1977 before he took his place on the Le Mans starting grid as a works driver in the 924 Carrera GT.

In 1981, with Jacky Ickx in the Porsche 936/81 Spyder, Bell won the first of his four overall victories at Le Mans in a Porsche.

1982 marked the beginning of the Group-C era with the Porsche 956, when he made his mark as one of the most successful endurance racers of all time. With drivers such as Ickx, Stefan Bellof and Hans-Joachim Stuck, he won many victories in the 956 and 962, but also the World Sportscar Championship in 1985 and 1986.

Bell has contributed to more than his share of motorsport movie magic. In 1970, he acted as driver and consultant on Steve McQueen's Le Mans (1971). In 1984, he carried a camera inside his 956 to create some sensational footage for In-Car 956, a favourite with motorsport fans.

Bell still works as an ambassador for the Porsche factory and is the proud owner of a 1981 924 Carrera GTS - the road-legal version of the car that transported him into the world of Le Mans. Known as the ultimate road-going 924, only 59 examples of the lightweight special (0-100km/h 6.2sec) were built.

Bell's favourite racing Porsche?

"I just loved the [Porsche] cars because they always did the right thing," Bell told a reporter from the Origin Porsche website earlier this year. "The engines worked, the brakes worked and they were always responsive. You always had a chance to win.

"But the favourite has to be the 962 ... because after the 956 I won Le Mans three times or something. I won three Daytonas and I was World Champion twice in a 962. I won a hell of a lot of races - thanks to my great team-mates - and it was just such a fantastic car that never let you down."

The 962 enjoyed an extraordinarily long run: created to replace the 956 (which did not meet American IMSA regulations because the driver sat too far forward), it was built between 1984-91 and raced successfully by both factory and private teams.

Such was the status of the 962 that several companies flirted with the idea of a road-legal 962 conversion. A Derek Bell edition was even created in 2007 - just a single example, despite more being planned at the time.

Bell still rates the 962 against the latest Porsche racing cars: "You get in a new GT2 and you think 'wow, this is really rather good'. Those cars would probably go around a small track just as quick as the 962. But they wouldn't go around Le Mans as quick. The 962 is a wonderful high-speed circuit car."