The most successful British driver at Le Mans, Derek Bell won the race five times between 1975 and 1987, and in the early 90s his son Justin was carving out his own racing career. In 1995, the legendary endurance race fell on the same day as Father’s Day, and the stars aligned for the father-son duo to drive it together. Almost thirty years to the day, we spoke to Justin Bell about the race — a professional achievement with profound personal meaning.
Derek had announced his retirement the year before but was persuaded to join his son and veteran racer Andy Wallace on Dave Price’s Harrods-sponsored team. They would be driving #51, one of seven McLaren F1 GTRs on the starting grid, standing out in bold green and gold livery.
It’s a familiar story now, but in the lead up to the 1995 event, the McLaren teams were only just getting a sense of how well the cars could perform. Justin remembers feeling the anticipation build as they started to focus on a class win.
Late at night, the situation looked dicey. With barely any time to talk, messages had to be brief and often shouted between driver changes. Mechanical difficulties meant they dropped into third, giving way to the Andretti-helmed Courage in second and the #59 Uno Clinic McLaren, which ultimately triumphed.
To celebrate their achievement and McLaren’s return to endurance racing at Le Mans, Derek and Justin retraced the familiar path to Le Mans in a McLaren Artura.
Thirty years on from the 1995 race — and fifty from Derek’s first Le Mans win — this year is truly significant for the Bells and for McLaren.
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