Bell: “I Feel Privileged To Be Present For The Le Mans Centenary”
Britain's five-time winner on paying tribute to lost Le Mans heroes, why Toyota is the favourite and the next 100 years...
10 June 2023, 8:55 AM
For five-time overall Le Mans winner Derek Bell, this year’s 24 Hours is set to be a memorable one.
The now 81-year-old became one of the event’s icons after 25 race starts and a string of victories with Porsche in the 1980s, during the Group C era, and has been a part of the race’s fabric ever since.
Eagle GB owner and historic racer Henry Pearman, who DSC spent time with recently on a filming day celebrating the revolutionary
In-Car 956 videos with Bell, describes his impact on British motorsport and the Le Mans 24 Hours best.
“Back when I first went to Le Mans in the 80s,” Pearman said, “there were 100,000 Brits making the trip to Le Mans, and he was a God to us, everyone there was cheering him on, he was the race and the reason why we went.”
Keen Le Mans-goers will be pleased to know that Bell has been present at Le Mans throughout the latter half of race week. He fully intended to soak up the atmosphere at what promises to be an unforgettable occasion and take the chance to celebrate the event’s storied past, which he played a key part in.
As well as Bell, many former winners and winning cars will be present and the grid for the race itself, with its top class packed with factory teams, feels worthy of this once-in-a-lifetime occasion.
Who does Bell have his money on? He is a firm believer, through experience, that “you have to pay your dues at Le Mans”. Thus, he expects the winner to be Toyota.
It’s good to see that cars today are also pushing the boundaries
“The current cars are unbelievable,” he explained in conversation with DSC. “In my day we developed electronic fuel systems, anti-lock brakes, power steering, and we had to of course, because when I was racing we wouldn’t compete unless you could justify the need for the budget. And it’s good to see that cars today are also pushing the boundaries.
“If the race isn’t worthy of the celebrations around it, there’s something wrong. Everyone has done tremendous development work, and the cars look fabulous. But if you asked me who will win, I’d have to say I think Toyota will be very strong.
“You can’t count out Porsche as they’ve won it so many times, but John Wyer (the celebrated British engineer and team manager) always used to tell me, ‘It’s going to take three years to win’. There’s folklore to this race. If you look back in history, more often than not, it takes time to become good enough to beat the race.”
And how about beyond this year? Bell thinks the Le Mans 24 Hours will continue to have staying power in its second century.
“We’re in the entertainment business, we’re out there to entertain 300,000 people and millions at home on TV,” he said. “Things will change. We won’t see the speeds get too high, as I can’t see anyone racing faster, at 400 miles an hour or something like that, but technology will move on. Hydrogen? Electric? Things are going to change immensely and I still think people will find value in competing there.
“If someone at the first race in 1923 said ‘What do you think the future holds for this?’ I don’t think anyone would have said: ‘We’ll be racing at 246 miles an hour.’ So who knows what the future holds?”
If someone at the first race in 1923 said ‘What do you think the future holds for this?’ I don’t think anyone would have said: ‘We’ll be racing at 246 miles an hour.’
In what turned into an emotional discussion about the race and its future, Bell went on to tell DSC that he feels we should make sure we use the centenary Le Mans to reflect on some of the personalities that helped shape the event but were taken from us too soon. These emotions, he said, struck him during the recent Le Mans celebration gala in Paris in mid-May, where he and many of the race’s most important figures were present.
“I’m still here at my age, and many of us from the past are still around,” he explained. “But many of us died in my era. Every year someone died it seemed. I’m so thankful safety has improved. At the gala, there was a selection of drivers who had won Le Mans multiple times. And to be honest I just felt lucky, I felt privileged to be a part of it and be present for the end of the centenary.
“When I look back, I realise that life really is cruel. It was easy to die. Stefan Bellof, Jo Siffert… Two of my three teammates died in 1971, Jo Siffert and Pedro Rodriguez, and I was left to be number one in the Porsche stable. But I just loved racing. And why I didn’t die I’m not sure?
“When I was with Jacky Ickx, Tom Kristensen, Henri Pescarolo at this dinner, it brought tears to my eyes. We all drove cars, I was in a 917 and Henri was in a Matra driving on this short course (the parade route prepared for the legends to display cars at the gala dinner). Henri has had a stroke, he’s been burnt, it wasn’t easy for him to even make it that night, and it brought it all home.
“I couldn’t talk, because I was looking around and I suddenly thought, there’s a chance not all of us are here next year.
“Now more than ever, we must remember that.”