-
Home
- TV Shows
-
TV Schedule
-
SPEED Showcase
-
- NASCAR
-
Formula 1
- Auto Racing
- Moto Racing
- Cars
- Bikes
- Store
- Social
- Games
- Mobile
- Deals
- Videos
- Photos
- Home
- TV Shows
-
TV Schedule
-
SPEED Showcase
-
- NASCAR
- Formula 1
- Auto Racing
- Moto Racing
- Cars
- Bikes
- Store
- Social
- Mobile
- Deals
- Videos
- Photos
SPEED’s Justin Bell Celebrates Famous Father At Le Mans 24
The pit reporter for SPEED’s Le Mans coverage recalls driving in the French endurance race with his dad, sports-car champion Derek Bell.
Justin Bell served as a driving coach at the Porsche school operated by his father, champion sports-car driver Derek Bell. (Photo: MotorGuru.com)
Father’s Day weekend can be a wonderful trip down memory lane. That time at the ballpark, a family’s favorite cook out or walking around with dad at the local car show.
But if your father is Derek Bell – one of the world’s most accomplished sports-car drivers – your holiday may include a 200-plus mph interlude with the Mulsanne straight. For Justin Bell, pit reporter for SPEED’s Le Mans coverage which starts at 8:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, June 16, it’s a family tradition.
Derek Bell is a legend. He won Le Mans five times (1975, 1981, 1982, 1986 & 1987), the Rolex 24 at Daytona three times (1986, 1987 & 1989), back-to-back World Sports Car Championships (1985 & 1986) and competed in multiple Formula One races from 1968 to 1974.
Bell also played himself in Steve McQueen’s famous movie, Le Mans, driving a Ferrari 517S in 1970. He penned a behind-the-scenes article for Vanity Fair in 2009, describing what it was like to be on the set of Le Mans. Read the magazine feature at Le Mans.
In 1995, Justin Bell teamed with his famous father and a fellow Brit, Andy Wallace, in a factory-backed McLaren F1 GTR. After leading for more than half the race, mechanical woes slowed their pace, dropping them to second in class and third overall. While disappointing, Derek later described it as his proudest moment in motor sport, while Justin remembers that Father’s Day quite fondly as well – they both shared it with a proud nation.
“We led for 12 hours on Father’s Day in the McLaren F1, but had the clutch-bearing release go with two hours to go, so we finished second in class and third overall,” Justin Bell said. “It would have been an amazing thing to have won it. To do it with him (my dad), and to see that swell of giving back to the fans and the support of your own countrymen was amazing. There were 75,000 British people there.
“It’s also been 20 years since my first Le Mans, since I first drove there,” the Los Angeles resident added. “I (also) raced there with my dad in 1992, which is kind of cool. Anytime I go to Le Mans and this is my 33rd I think, I first went when I was six or so. It’s an amazing experience. Dad will be driving there on Saturday morning (historic Le Mans race). He’s really excited. It’s pretty good to see him out there.”
Justin and Derek had run endurance events together prior to Le Mans: the Rolex 24 at Daytona in 1991 and their inaugural Le Mans appearance the year after. While Daytona is a tough race, with mounds of traffic, tight turns and periods of adverse weather, Le Mans is an entirely different animal.
So it was only natural that Derek would impart fatherly wisdom about what it takes to be successful at Circuit de la Sarthe. What was that advice?
“Really to relax,” Bell said. “Get in the rhythm and speed will come to you. You really have to embrace the pace and rhythm at Le Mans. That’s why, in the middle of the night, you find yourself using less gas, driving more economically and going faster than you did in practice. It’s an incredible place.”
This weekend, Bell is roving Le Mans for SPEED to find the fun that doesn’t always appear on track. It’s the side of the race that helps draw hundreds of thousands of people every year.
“I like to find the stories and I like to talk about the people, more than I do the cars,” Bell said. “For me, the fans at Le Mans, the nationalistic fans from Denmark, France, Germany, England … I think there are a lot of stories that I like to find. They never fail to disappoint, of course, finding a sober one is another thing.
“Imagine the ultimate tailgating party, mixed with a boys camping trip, coupled with really hot European chicks and the world’s fastest cars and drivers out there on track, where everyone who’s anyone in the world of racing has once driven,” Bell said. “Then you’ve got 24 hours, so even if you miss a bit, it’s not exactly a tragedy because you normally have a hangover.”
While some of his on-air bits are going to be on the light-hearted side, the overall broadcast has a deeper meaning for Bell.
“Actually, I turned down a ride this year – for a really good team – because I really think what SPEED does at Le Mans is very special,” Bell said. “I don’t want to say tribute, but we represent what happens at Le Mans very faithfully to the fans back in America. I like being a part of that. The whole Father’s Day thing is fun – there will be a lot of good American drivers there. But just bringing the world’s cars and human stories from one of the world’s greatest races – I believe it’s the world’s greatest race – and bringing it back to America, I love being a part of that.”
Le Mans 24 Hours
2012 Live Coverage Schedule
(All Times Eastern; Schedule Subject To Change)
Friday, June 15
Toyota’s Road to Le Mans: 10 - 11 p.m.
Saturday, June 16
Toyota’s Road to Le Mans: 7:30 - 8:30 a.m. (Replay)
Le Mans 24 Hours (The Start): 8:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. (Live)
Le Mans 24 Hours: 1 - 2:30 p.m. (Live; SPEED.com)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Qualifying: 1 - 2:30 p.m. (Live; SPEED)
Le Mans 24 Hours: 2:30 - 7 p.m. (Live)
Le Mans 24 Hours: 7 - 7:30 p.m. (Live; SPEED.com)
SPEED Center : 7 - 7:30 p.m. (Live; SPEED)
Le Mans 24 Hours: 7:30 p.m. - Midnight (Live)
Sunday, June 17
Le Mans 24 Hours (The Finish): Midnight - 9:30 a.m. (Live)
Saturday, June 23
Audi Truth in 24 II: 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. (Feature)
But if your father is Derek Bell – one of the world’s most accomplished sports-car drivers – your holiday may include a 200-plus mph interlude with the Mulsanne straight. For Justin Bell, pit reporter for SPEED’s Le Mans coverage which starts at 8:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, June 16, it’s a family tradition.
Derek Bell is a legend. He won Le Mans five times (1975, 1981, 1982, 1986 & 1987), the Rolex 24 at Daytona three times (1986, 1987 & 1989), back-to-back World Sports Car Championships (1985 & 1986) and competed in multiple Formula One races from 1968 to 1974.
Bell also played himself in Steve McQueen’s famous movie, Le Mans, driving a Ferrari 517S in 1970. He penned a behind-the-scenes article for Vanity Fair in 2009, describing what it was like to be on the set of Le Mans. Read the magazine feature at Le Mans.
In 1995, Justin Bell teamed with his famous father and a fellow Brit, Andy Wallace, in a factory-backed McLaren F1 GTR. After leading for more than half the race, mechanical woes slowed their pace, dropping them to second in class and third overall. While disappointing, Derek later described it as his proudest moment in motor sport, while Justin remembers that Father’s Day quite fondly as well – they both shared it with a proud nation.
“We led for 12 hours on Father’s Day in the McLaren F1, but had the clutch-bearing release go with two hours to go, so we finished second in class and third overall,” Justin Bell said. “It would have been an amazing thing to have won it. To do it with him (my dad), and to see that swell of giving back to the fans and the support of your own countrymen was amazing. There were 75,000 British people there.
“It’s also been 20 years since my first Le Mans, since I first drove there,” the Los Angeles resident added. “I (also) raced there with my dad in 1992, which is kind of cool. Anytime I go to Le Mans and this is my 33rd I think, I first went when I was six or so. It’s an amazing experience. Dad will be driving there on Saturday morning (historic Le Mans race). He’s really excited. It’s pretty good to see him out there.”
Justin and Derek had run endurance events together prior to Le Mans: the Rolex 24 at Daytona in 1991 and their inaugural Le Mans appearance the year after. While Daytona is a tough race, with mounds of traffic, tight turns and periods of adverse weather, Le Mans is an entirely different animal.
So it was only natural that Derek would impart fatherly wisdom about what it takes to be successful at Circuit de la Sarthe. What was that advice?
“Really to relax,” Bell said. “Get in the rhythm and speed will come to you. You really have to embrace the pace and rhythm at Le Mans. That’s why, in the middle of the night, you find yourself using less gas, driving more economically and going faster than you did in practice. It’s an incredible place.”
This weekend, Bell is roving Le Mans for SPEED to find the fun that doesn’t always appear on track. It’s the side of the race that helps draw hundreds of thousands of people every year.
“I like to find the stories and I like to talk about the people, more than I do the cars,” Bell said. “For me, the fans at Le Mans, the nationalistic fans from Denmark, France, Germany, England … I think there are a lot of stories that I like to find. They never fail to disappoint, of course, finding a sober one is another thing.
“Imagine the ultimate tailgating party, mixed with a boys camping trip, coupled with really hot European chicks and the world’s fastest cars and drivers out there on track, where everyone who’s anyone in the world of racing has once driven,” Bell said. “Then you’ve got 24 hours, so even if you miss a bit, it’s not exactly a tragedy because you normally have a hangover.”
While some of his on-air bits are going to be on the light-hearted side, the overall broadcast has a deeper meaning for Bell.
“Actually, I turned down a ride this year – for a really good team – because I really think what SPEED does at Le Mans is very special,” Bell said. “I don’t want to say tribute, but we represent what happens at Le Mans very faithfully to the fans back in America. I like being a part of that. The whole Father’s Day thing is fun – there will be a lot of good American drivers there. But just bringing the world’s cars and human stories from one of the world’s greatest races – I believe it’s the world’s greatest race – and bringing it back to America, I love being a part of that.”
Le Mans 24 Hours
2012 Live Coverage Schedule
(All Times Eastern; Schedule Subject To Change)
Friday, June 15
Toyota’s Road to Le Mans: 10 - 11 p.m.
Saturday, June 16
Toyota’s Road to Le Mans: 7:30 - 8:30 a.m. (Replay)
Le Mans 24 Hours (The Start): 8:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. (Live)
Le Mans 24 Hours: 1 - 2:30 p.m. (Live; SPEED.com)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Qualifying: 1 - 2:30 p.m. (Live; SPEED)
Le Mans 24 Hours: 2:30 - 7 p.m. (Live)
Le Mans 24 Hours: 7 - 7:30 p.m. (Live; SPEED.com)
SPEED Center : 7 - 7:30 p.m. (Live; SPEED)
Le Mans 24 Hours: 7:30 p.m. - Midnight (Live)
Sunday, June 17
Le Mans 24 Hours (The Finish): Midnight - 9:30 a.m. (Live)
Saturday, June 23
Audi Truth in 24 II: 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. (Feature)
LATEST HEADLINES: AUTOMOTIVE
-
GREEN: Porsche Adding All-Model Hybrids
Gas/electric plug-versions of its entire lineup – including… -
AUTOS: Porsche Boosts 918 Spyder Power
The upcoming supercar will produce 887 horsepower from its gas/electric… -
AUTOS: Acura NSX Details Revealed
The rebirth of the mid-engine sports car – now an all-wheel-drive… -
DRIVEN: Jaguar’s Many-Splendored XJ
The British luxury sedan comes in 10 different flavors, with plenty… -
AUTOS: Lamborghini Egoista Launched
The wild single-seat concept car is unveiled at the end of the epic… -
AUTOS: Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Hot Pontiac G8
NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick helped his driver modify the 2009… -
VINTAGE: A Fast Historic Tour Of France
Vintage race and touring cars compete in the 22nd annual Tour de… - More News
