Le Mans legend Derek Bell takes centre stage at the Festival of Speed

After growing up in nearby Pagham, Bell’s career in motorsport started at the Goodwood Motor Circuit. In fact, he was a regular before even getting behind the wheel, working as a marshall with both the Bognor and Chichester motor clubs. “I did anything I could to get near a race car,” he says, commenting that he was marshalling the day of Stirling Moss’s career-ending crash in 1962.

Two years later, he entered his first race in a Lotus Seven he built with a friend. They finished assembling it the night before the race and, in the pouring rain, Bell won. He clearly had potential, and it was going to be fulfilled. Bell’s emotion is apparent when he talks about receiving the call from Enzo Ferrari. “Getting to know Enzo Ferrari was something special,” he says, recalling an era of his career that saw him drive a Ferrari Formula 1 car in front of  a home crowd at Monza.

When that period came to an end, he thought his racing career may be over. History tells a different story. Bell was best known for his exploits in Group C sportscars with Porsche, and tips a nod to former team-mate Jacky Ickx who’s watching from the crowd. Friends and family are brought on to the balcony too, including son Justin with whom Bell shared the podium at Le Mans in 1995.

Modest and genial as ever, Bell describes Goodwood as being “Just home to me,” as his moment on the balcony comes to its conclusion. From the warm reception he receives from fans, friends and contemporaries, that seems perfectly apt.

The 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed is underway! You can watch every moment of the action by watching our livestream.

Photography by Pete Summers, Jordan Butters and Joe Harding.