Derek Bell: what it feels like to do 246mph at Le Mans. At night.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 มิ.ย. 2018
- Five-times Le Mans winner, Derek Bell, in conversation with Peter Windsor, describes what it's like to drive a Porsche at nearly 250mph on the old Mulsanne Straight. At night. This interview was filmed with the kind assistance of Porsche UK at their West London headquarters.
Images: LAT Photographic (Motorsport Images)
Follow Peter on X: @peterdwindsor
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NICK: YOU'RE ALWAYS WITH US - กีฬา
I wanted to be Derek Bell when I was a kid at Le Mans standing behind the fence on the Mulsanne watching the Porsche flash by and covering my ears from the noise. I'm 55 now and I still want to be Derek Bell. What a hero.
I stood next to an idling Gulf Porsche 917 driven by Rodriguez at Daytona as a teenager. That car made your entire body vibrate...incredible!!!! I've never seen a better car...never
James Lebihan cool
Bill Moyer nice
I was at Le Mans 1987 When Derek won with Hans Stuck and Al Holbert. My wife bought me a lovely Picture of The Rothman's Porsche overtaking the Silk Cut Jaguar. over the hump. It's called Putting The Cat Out
@@fireblademan494 BOO - HISSSSSSSSSS! LOL
Even at 76 years old,he is still one seriously cool dude.
Of course, old guys rule! :)
@@sharpsdoublerifle1439 truth xD
He just looks fast.capable of evading high speed pursuit.
roconnor01 his son Justin is just as cool👍
I totally agree with you. Derek Bell is the coolest dude.
Hearing him explain how it felt driving on the mulsanne straight makes me feel so happy. Its nice to know other people give their car a pat on the dashboard or even think about it
Although not many of us have the chance-or the nerve-to give our cars a little pat while moving along at 230+ mph!
I give the dash a pat or 2 too .. at 100 km/h. Can even pass it fx. at the parking lot and give the bonnet a swift little stroke .. or the "hip" (it's a XC90)
I’ve driven down the Mulsanne straight , 4 times now, super smooth tarmac, 3 rows of Armco, 130kph honest 👮♂️.. main road from Le Mans to Tours, well worth my detour on the 2000,Klm drive down to Spain
you prolly dont give a damn but does any of you know a way to log back into an instagram account??
I somehow lost the login password. I appreciate any assistance you can give me
@Kamari Leland instablaster :)
Derek Bell,Jackie Stewart,Dan Gurney all true gentlemen racers of a bygone era. Thank you all for the memories.
You forgot Jackie ichx,and pedro
As Jackie would say. "It's a great day for a motorcar race"
Jackie calls Gilles doing the most insane thing ever.
th-cam.com/video/QO5dcW0P75M/w-d-xo.html
Hey, what about Jim Clark, Stirling Moss.
Wow - you'd have to have balls of STEEL driving that fast - at night!!! The 917 has always been my fav race car of all time - especially in the Gulf Racing livery. Thanks for sharing this!
I would be absolutely terrified driving down the Mulsanne Straight at night even today. There are so many different classes of cars and so many drivers of differing skill levels. What would happen if some beginning Porsche 911 GT driver happens to move into the path of a 917 moving at a much greater speed? Yikes!
I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Bell at a Porsche Club of America local chapter event a couple of years ago. Such a legend. Very approachable, gracious and personable.
Derek Bell is one of the all time greatest endurance drivers in history. I met him at the Charlotte Camel GT race in the 90’s. Super friendly gentleman. He would talk and reminisce about the 917 and 962. He told me the 917 was a bit of a beast,very exciting and could be scary but the 962 was almost like a very fast street car. Everything worked so well and even the de-misters worked well in the rain. A truly great race car.👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
962 was actually made into a street car
@@formbi Yep it was but for a street car it was a tad confined. And it cost a measly$1,000,000 dollars. Beautiful car,even had a suspension would lift over bumps to get up driveways.
Bell loves the 956 and 962 but as Le Mans cars they seemed somewhat boring.
Porsche 917 in the Gulf livery...definitely in my Top 10 Favorite Cars list.🤤
Especially the long tail version IMO. Spectacular!
Hot Wheels just made a die-cast version of the Porsche 917 LH Gulf livery (#18).
Coolest car ever!
That comes from the movie. A 917 in Gulf livery never actually won at LeMans. My favorite? The Martini & Rossi one, with the blue and white striping on the white or gray car.
@@Gooberwalla Wyer won 3 times though, one of those with Bell
I'd love to see an interview with Derek Bell and Brian Redman together to see how their opinions on the Porsche 917 might differ. Both these drivers have such great memories of their careers.
"Norbert....... 246 mph; yes, I'm glad you told me that!" Great interview Peter.
This guy is the real deal. Clear too why Brendon Hartley deserves some respect for 2 LeMans wins and faster pace at Porsche than (mentor at times) M Webber.
Derek Bell Wiki
British racing driver who was extremely successful in sportscar racing, winning the Le Mans 24 hours five times, the Daytona 24 three times and the World Sportscar Championship twice. He also raced in Formula One for the Ferrari, Wheatcroft, McLaren, Surtees and Tecno teams. He has been described by fellow racer Hans-Joachim Stuck as one of the most liked drivers of his generation
Hartley has only 1 le mans win but 2 WEC titles
Doh! Of course '15 + '17 WEC - '17 Le Mans win
Not trying to discredit Hartley but last year was his first win at Le Mans. (Although he did also take the WEC title as a result)
Absolute respect.
jiff jiffernson : as the results of this year's Le Mans has shown, it is a lot easier for an F1 driver to drive an LMP car than the other way round. Hartley is good but will never be an F1 contender.
Every single time I watch this, I smile for some reason.
"Flat out for a minute." In a 917 that must be the most exciting experience I can imagine.
IFM what was it actually? A 7 Km stretch?
@@stephanesmith9391 les hunaudieres. Check it out
That and taking off on the space shuttle or an F-16.
IFM whiteknucklin for miles.
@@stephanesmith9391 Mulsanne was about 3.5 miles long. The chilling part is to consider that the Mercedes cars that flipped over backwards weren't going that fast and they were running after the chicanes were added to slow things down.
The way Derek described those moments made me feel like I was in the cars driving them. Great interview!
Matt Cole summed him up as the greatest driver on that track He stated this year during commentary of the race that Derek took him on a horror ride one day a few years back and at 245 mph on the mulsanne straight he took his hands off the steering wheel and said look at that we are in the tracks of the lorry's we are going nowhere lol
I saw this legend with his wife in the border control queue at Gatwick, Xmas 2018. In real life his face looked like it was sculpted in the Hypersonic wind tunnel at JPL. Quite a remarkable looking man of 76 years
One of the best memory of my life, my dad waking me up at 4 am that sunday morning and taking me to Le Mans, my dad was a long time ACO (Automobile club de l'Ouest) member, giving us special access, we were with the Red cross unit right next to the track by a chicane..I'll never forget it,
I had the pleasure of meeting Derek at Goodwood when he was with Wyer. I was in the UK over from New York State to shop for a FC car to go SCCA club racing with. He is one of the nicest guys I've met in racing. We spent some time between sessions just hanging out and chatting. It was an unforgettable day.
- Dave
dgwachtel I am soooooo jealous of you.
Was curious to know, Dave. Which car did you eventually pick? Or did you not end up buying one? Either way, would be nice to hear what happened after that day!
Sorry it took so long to reply.
There were several Brabham BT-28 and BT-28/35 cars that were for sale. I worked out a deal with Low Cost Racing for a BT-28 which was partially updated to BT-35 specifications. The BT-35 had saddle fuel cells, different bodywork, larger brakes and wings. Believe it or not, I bought it on "layaway", sending what I could afford to LCR each month. Eventually it was paid for, loaded on a freighter as on-deck cargo and picked up at the Port of Newark. You can see a photo of this and most of the other formula cars I've either owned or driven on my facebook page and Google Plus (until they kill the servers). In one of the photos you can see the replacement wing I fabricated to replace the original fragile wing.
Unfortunately, I didn't really have the funds or the expertise to run the car properly. That was a real pity as it was fantastic to drive. Drifting the high speed corner on the hill at the old Bryar Motorsports Park was always great fun. What a fantastic track that was and totally ruined by the NASCAR "upgrade".
I had a bunch of top five and top ten finishes with it and won a race at Watkins Glen. If I knew then what I know now the mechanical problems with the clutch and motor would have been solved and results would have been much better. Back then getting help with a formula car was difficult indeed.
I ran the car for a few years until going back to university. When I returned to racing after college, SCCA Formula C had become prohibitively expensive so I switched to Formula Ford. In the late '90's we had huge fields and there was always someone to race with. Not so today. Too bad.
I was planning to turn semi-pro in the SBR Pro series when I ran out of funds. I did a test day at LRP and was quick enough for fifth on the grid. But that's a whole 'nother story.
I kept all my cars until I had to sell them one at a time to pay the bills. I had wanted to restore the Brabham and race it in vintage events but sold it and my old Cooper T76 to a restoration shop. Got a fair price for these cars so at least that was something.
- Dave
This is quite the story to read - sorry to hear you had to sell these cars off, but it's understandable due to the costs of how everything runs these days. How was racing in Formula Ford? What sort of expectations did they have for you?
On another note, it's unfortunate you did run out of funds - it seemed you had a promising future. These cars sounded quite fun to drive as well, I'd love to be behind the wheel of one of them, but once again the money is a massive driving factor and it's sad to see that most people have to pay their way in rather than being picked up for their talents.
What cars do you own now? And what do you do this current day? I'm really interested to learn about all of these things, haha.
Don't worry about the long reply, it's fine. I'm glad you got around to responding in the end!
Fantastic.
I always love the reality stories of racing.
What one will do to get on the track...the telling of which, could still get one arrested.
very passionate way of speaking. i can feel the love that he's got for the experience, the car and the event.
I was lucky to meet Mr. Bell at Lime Rock while he was sitting on the pit wall timing lap times for his co driver. A true gentleman.
I was fortunate to meet Derek Bell at the Charlotte Camel GT race many years ago and he was an extremely nice guy that didn’t mind answering questions from fans in the Pits. My absolute favorite endurance racer.
Two words......Total respect.
Derek Bell. A true hero. Deserves to be more well known.
That he certainly is. Unfortunately, that majority of those of us who remember him well, are aging just a wee bit along with him. Hopefully, the younger crowd will find these video interesting bits of automotive history.
Derek Bell is one on the greatest! Incredible footage! Thank you for the experience without endangerment to life and limb. Total respect for drivers of that period.
Such a different era and mindset, those guys are my hero's ....man & machine were never closer!!
Very clear and passionate explanations!! And Damn 396 km/h.......what kind of balls did these guys have ? Speechless
Balls of steel
Derek Bell is truly a legend. His memoirs and historical references (seen monthly in Octane Magazine) truly exemplify driving as a genuine art form.
The best description I've ever seen of racing at that speed. No picture can be worth those thousand words. Great interview Derek & Peter
Loved it. When man and machine are one, knowing that every nut and bolt added was to make such an incredible achievement possible. Great viewing. Thank you gentleman.
Excellence....love everything Porsche...especially the 917
One of the great personalities ever in motorsports. Thank you
Takes incredible skill to drive that quickly.
I never won at LeMans but I agree with Derek, The Mullsanne, pre chicanes, was the most extraordinary experience, even in my much slower C2 mounts. I also enjoyed Indianapolis, since the approach was also flat out, top gear. Wonderful memories.
Thanks for the insight comment! Which speeds did the C2 category cars reach there?
"...allowing for tire growth..." yep, that's fast.
furyofbongos lol as soon as you have to start allowing for tire growth you know you’re going fuck-all fast.
In Australia, we call that fuck-off fast.
Lol like a top fuel drag car
That's the legendary Norbert Singer, so legendary the best 911s in the world bear his name on the badge.
@ tayf85: No, we don't say that here; Australia is a fucking Nanny-State where hardly anyone has the balls to go over 60kph. sorry to say.
Just diagnosed + for Covid at 65. Brought me back here (for my annual adrenalin fix, all medicine I ever needed). These were my glory days growing up as a teenager.
Toured the Porche factory in the summer of 69 and saw a line of 917s in Gulf livery lined up on the far side of the factory. Looked very fast standing still! It was after LeMans (late July or early August) so we knew a little about them but weren’t allowed to get very close.
An absolutely fantastic bit of interview, with an extremely likeable man. I would have loved to have been there, just sitting off to the side, listening, with rapt attention, like a small child listening to a fairy tale, for the first time. Thank you Peter Windsor for getting this interview, and than you so much for posting it!
Hunaudieres without chicanes and the old Mulsanne hump was one of racing's most terrifying pieces of road.
"Oh that's good, cuz at eight two she blows up."
🎤👋🏿
Simply amazing. Over 40 years has gone by and those cars may still be competitive. And coconut sized balls that even F1 drivers dream of.
They wouldn't be competitive. The older cars could reach tremendous speeds and they took advantage of the longer straight on the Mulsanne. Todays cars have much more downforce and grip. It would be lights out for the older cars. That doesn't mean they weren't fabulous.
Robert Vander Voort And the fact that todays cars have beaten the lap record WITH the chicanes.
Robert Vander Voort Obviously the ball has been moved forward in every aspect. That said, current prototypes come no where near 250 in FIA trim. I would also like to check some race distance and speeds. I think you'll be surprised..
emerckx53 - Top speed isn't remotely everything. The top speed is a function of gearing and drag. The straight has been divided in two with a chicane. There are also various rules in place which no doubt have an effect on top speed.
They may not be coming that close to that top speed, these new cars are way faster around the track anyway.
Look at the times. The top speed is inconsequential. One of those old cars- truly spectacular. They would have less straightaway to take advantage of and be slower around every single corner. This is a road course not a drag race.
The current cars are lapping at a faster pace despite the lower top speed. The older cars simply wouldn't stand a chance in today's field, ASAT.
Robert Vander Voort all that said, what do you think would happen if you kept accumulating an extra 20-30 plus miles an hour for one minute in the Mulsane straight of new cars raced in the old track configuration? I agree, newer LeMans cars are state of the art and technology does not move backwards! But, would new cars do just as well with a more street /road dedicated track? Put them in in the old school tire compounds! I don’t know! Apple and oranges that looks so appetizing
Seems I watch this Derek Bell interview with Porsche track footage once a week ... mesmerized each time. A class gentleman from a classic time.
Derek Bell...legend!!
I remember bumping into Derek Bell when I was University age in London at Covent Garden Market around 1991. As a petrolhead, I recognised him immediately and struck up a conversation. I can't remember what we talked about but I still remember thinking despite him being only a little younger than my Dad, he was so devastatingly cool and engaging, even to a young bloke like me at the time. I knew I had met someone very special. Great video, thanks!
They just released both the Ferrari and the Porsche in the vintage Le Mans pack for Project Cars 2, nice to see this clip here right after having experienced it virtually myself. Thanks for posting this interview!
and it's GLORIOUS
I sat in a 956 in Daytona, it was so cramped and small, I can't even imagine going 25 down my street in that car let alone hitting 1000hp down the backstretch at Daytona or the Mulsanne straight at Le Mans. I'd be fucking terrified.
First time I ever watched that "In-Car 956" video when he went haring down the Mulsanne straight I honestly felt like my eyeballs were going to pop out. I used to watch a lot of motor racing and plenty of in-car stuff but I'd never seen speed like it.
This was one of the best interviews I’ve seen in long time. Thank You.
I was in Mr Bell's company for a number of hours one day and had a few short conversations with him, he was exactly the same with an ordinary bloke like me as he was in interviews at the height of his career. An intelligent gentleman with a great deal of class IMO.
Mind blowing to hear the numbers now. Incredible times
What a guy, what a legend, he will be remember for ever, he wrote part of the Porsche history, incredible, ahhhh, he said "flat out for an entire minutes " jajajaja, Wow INSANE, I'll love to meet him and stretch his hand, of course photo and autograph, great interview
A special time in racing history....and a great interview. Thanks, mate.
It is just a joy to hear from a true living legend...
0:33 That 512S is one of the prettiest cars ever made...
Absolutely fantastic interview and some fabulous photos & amazing footage lovely people
Hi Derek. Thank you for being one of my personal great stars since childhood. Such memories!
Excellent interview !
Great insight from one of the greatest drivers of all time !
Thanks to both of you !
So amazing. Love this stuff.
Fantastic to see this interview available again. I spent a long time looking for it to the point where I began to doubt if it even existed. Derek's description of the car going down Mulsanne really puts into perspective how otherworldly it must've been to drive under those conditions.
Once again, another great piece Peter 👍🏼
246mph in the early 70s it was truly unbelievable then and really still is. These guy's were my hero's even though I was only 10 and didn't know who they were. I was right it turns out.
Great video! Thank you SO much!!
Ramble mode, sorry: Here in the US we didn't get to see much coverage of this series unless it was at Le Mans. Well, I was born in the mid-60s, so I really wasn't into racing until the late 70s so I'm sure I missed a lot, and back then it was primarily just the Indy 500 and F1. I've always LOVED F1, but finding it on TV in the 80s was almost like finding a needle in the haystack by accident. Usually I found it when I happened to click on the right channel. Same goes for Group C in the 80s. Side note: Thank God for DVRs!! I bought one the first time I saw a TiVo informercial on Directv in 1999 -- one of the best consumer electronics inventions of the 20th century! One significant memory was watching Stefan Bellof's fatal crash at Spa. That was the first time I watched a racing car driver get killed on live TV (ESPN I'd imagine). It was so sad.
The way he describes it is absolutely incredible! Derek Bell for President!!
Wow. Great interview with one of my favorite drivers.
I could watch your content for hours .... 🙏🏻
I had the chance to meet Derek Bell at Sears Point Raceway. Back in the IMSA days and he was driving the 962. Amazing car and driver. He was gracious, almost to a fault. Even though he had a race that, day he was happy to talk with me for awhile. Something I'll always remember! He, Al Holbert and Hans Stuck were my heroes. I spent quite a bit of time it at the races in the 80's and 90's. The IMSA cars took turns 4 and 5 all as one turn and apexed between them! The only cars I've ever seen do that. Only Dale Earnhardt was as friendly. Something that really surprised me! He joined me for lunch and we spoke for over an hour. It seems that the best drivers are the most relaxed drivers at the track!
No dislikes and nothing but positive comments so far, well done Peter!
I remember working for Ford Advanced Vehicles { GT 40 } in Slough. Gulf-Porsche Works was next door, I had no idea they were so fast.
This is poetry.
I can't believe he's interrupting Bell when he was busy telling a story about Hochenheim
Derek Bell my motor racing Hero, I went to Le Mans in the 956/962 era, think I did 7 on the trot
This memory, THANK YOU!
so good to hear from someone who did the drive,espically Derek,brave souls.
The best explanation I’ve ever heard and very relatable to real drivers and car lovers
My older brother and I talked to him at Mid-Ohio at one of the Lumbermen races, he was racing in the Gulf Mirage, very down to earth and answered all of our questions.
Great interview!
Thanks for sharing. The legend of legends speaking. Wunderbar
Amazing description of that flat out straight.
Mr Bell is an utter legend!! As big a legend as the cars he drove. I was at Lemans in the years he raced and won, a golden era.
What balls of steel man. But he is right, he was in the best possible cars that were engineered to perfection so you trust them.
Loved seeing the 962s with Derek Bell and others at the Riverside IMSA races. Miss those races. But on another note - F1 owners - bring back Peter Windsor, David Hobbs and the other guys so I can hear some decent F1 comments during the races.
Cam Coulter Hell YES! So tired of trying to decode what those SKY Brits are saying.
Windsor, Hobbs AND Derek Bell were and still are the best commentators I have seen for in 40 years of watching F1 on TV. I've been watching longer, but Wide World of Sports didn't really have "commentators" in 1961......
And today in F1 we're stuck with petulant pissants like Lewis and Kimi. I bet time won't wax poetically on these yobs like we do with Bell, Stuck, Ickx and Mass. These men tamed their cars and went flat out for gloy.
Just met him. What a great guy!
Excellent post!
Listening to Derek describe driving the 917 at top speed for over a minute, I could almost imagine
what he was describing. I also imagine that that 60 seconds gave him a fair amount of time to think.
I loved the photos shown. The Rothman's car looks like some very serious business.
Derek is a gent, I remember seeing videos of him competing even at the RAC in an astra
I could listen to his stories for days.
You should ask Tom K!
Before his first Le Mans, he got a phonecall on bicycle ride, Wednesday before the race, asking if he would drive.
He turned up, for a team that he didn't know, driving a car he had never driven, on a track that was also new to him.
At night he not only made the fastest round of the race, he made a new track record.
And of course, won the overall race!
On his debut!
He then went on to win another eight Le Mans races. . . .
So at 256 mph flat out at Le Mans will be the only time you can enjoy the car and finally comprehend what it is that you are piloting, is a pretty incredible, but honest comment considering the piece of engineering excellence the 917 is if you think about it. Derek Bell, with his calmness and focus, defines what a racing driver should strive to be, thanks for sharing, great interview.
So cool. Absolute icons, both cars and driver.
The true hero of this interview...Norbert Singer! LeMans & Porsche GOAT!!
I've met Mr. Bell a number of times since our first conversation in 1986 and aside from being a complete gentleman he is as well an intellectual and philosopher. I don't admire many drivers, though I like a lot of them. I admire Derek Bell. But the idea of doing 246 mph in the dark on a two-lane (but one line) race track is as far from my imaginative possibilities as space travel. Though I think space travel is probably safer. Too bad there wasn't more discussion (or fewer bad feelings) about the 512 though. I would've liked to have heard what it was like compared to the Porsche.
A hero of mine for sure! What a history this man has.
That feeling at night at speed is very similar to being in light GA aircraft at night when the air is smooth your at altitude and she's all trimmed out pulling hard, the instruments are lightly glowing. You feel as if your just floating in space, all alone...very peaceful. Love to fly at night in the old B35 Beechcraft Bonanza... Miss her..
Porsche, historically and to date, the most formidable cars in the world.
I remember watching Mr Bell winning both the 86 & 87 Le Mans, not in person (i wish) but on the telly, in the Rothmans (My dad used to smoke them) Porsche 962. An amazing car and even more amazing driver and gentleman. I wish i remembered the names of his co-drivers, they deserve credit as well.
Motor racing then was still heroic.
Right, why don't you race then?... If today's racing is for pussies why don't you join in?
@@torenico chill
shut up dude ....he was just stating the obvious - u seemed to ignore like a prick . Cool down
torenico Give me the cash and i will jump in the parade in a flash! Its all a big cash show now for daddys boy, back then, in the Gille Villeneuve era, he had to mortgage his house to make it happen, dont be a fool now, real dedicated talent is not present on any major racetrack event, look a Lance Stroll in F1 and you will get a very accurate picture of whatever is going on in modern racing. If you want the real deal you can stick to the TT motorcycle racing to find legitimate racing skills, bravery, sacrifice and dedication for the love of the sport, also all those pure road race event around the globe and rally meeting can give you a very accurate picture of what real racing is all about, not that tasteless unskilled daddys boys lapping around for the show with their cash.
WORD
Got to meet Derek and his son a few times at Sebring. Took a few pick with them through the years.
Got invited into their motorhome (on the front straight at Sebring) when I happened to find one of their credit cards on the ground. Really nice guys. 👍
Pure racer. 🙌🏻
Love Derek....He is a living legend!
I drove my 2001 Opel on the Mulsane straight... at 50 mph... was cool...
Thanks for this PeterWindsor! Great to have insight from the inside!