Who is Derek Bell, the Grand Marshall of the 24 2021 Hours of Le Mans?

Time does not seem to have any influence on Derek Bell who, as he approaches 80, still looks the same as when he was in the heyday of the world championship.Endurance under the colors Porsche/Rothmans. Before getting there, the native of Pinner (Middlesex) went through many side roads. Rather, his destiny seemed to call him to take over the family farm, to the point of attending an agricultural college. Naturally, it was tractor driving that this Stirling Moss fan liked the most. It was in 1962, when his idol was hanging up, that Derek began attending the Jim Russell flying school in Snetterton. He will have to wait two years to race at the wheel of a Lotus Super Seven. First race and first victory in the rain at Goodwood for our field driver, who finished runner-up in Super 7. In 1965, Derek had some success in club races at the wheel of a Lotus 31 F3. With the help of his father-in-law, he got down to business the following year, but the competitiveness of the Lotus 41 did not match the prestige of the brand and his driver had more accidents than results. . He won a victory at Goodwood, before acquiring a Brabham BT21, with which he won in the last race of the season, at Brands Hatch.