Derek Bell to be reunited with Lowenbrau Porsche 962 at Classic 24

Derek Bell will be reunited with the iconic No. 14 Lowenbrau Special Porsche 962 HR1 in one of the many highlights of this weekend’s Classic 24 at Daytona Presented by IMSA.

The Classic 24 will take the green flag at 1 p.m. on Saturday, featuring continuous twice-around-the-clock competition among six Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) groups featuring cars that had been eligible to compete throughout the 53-year history of the Rolex 24 At Daytona. One of those cars was the Lowenbrau Special Porsche 962 co-driven by Bell and Al Holbert.

“That was an incredibly special car,” said Bell. “I drove it a lot, and I won in it on more than a few occasions. It was a wonderful car, and I was lucky to drive in that era. I was fortunate to drive with Al, he was a great person, along with being a fantastic engineer and mechanic. Everything about him was first rate. To be reunited with this car is very special, and to drive a few laps in it again would be fantastic.”

Holbert Racing used a pair of the venerable Porsche 962 chassis in dominating IMSA Camel GT Prototype competition from 1984 through 1987, winning three driver championships over that span. The original car, chassis 103, was built in Weissach, Germany. It debuted early in the 1984 season, scoring the first victory for the Porsche 962 when Bell, Al Holbert and Jim Adams won the Camel Continental at Watkins Glen International in the car’s second start.

Holbert constructed a second car – chassis HR1 – at his shops in Warrington, Pa., that debuted midway through the 1985 season. The car won 10 races in IMSA competition, including the 1985 season finale at Daytona with Holbert and Al Unser Jr. co-driving. This car is now owned and campaigned in HSR competition by Dan Curry, who will be joined by Gunnar Jeannette in the car at the Classic 24.

“We had two cars, and I drove in both of them,” sais Bell (RIGHT). “I’d get in the car they told me to.”

The final outing for Porsche 962 HR1 was on Sept. 30, 1988, at Columbus, Ohio, in practice for the Columbus Ford Dealers Camel Grand Prix. Holbert lost his life in a private aircraft crash following the Friday session, and the team withdrew from the event. The car never raced again in professional competition.

“The last day I really drove that car was the dad Al died,” Bell said. “I also drove it a little in the first Rennsport at Lime Rock in 2001, but we had a mechanical issue.”

Bell was a three-time winner of the Rolex 24 At Daytona. He won back-to-back races with Holbert and Unser in 1986-87 in chassis 103, in addition to winning in a Jim Busby-owned Porsche 962 in 1989. He also finished second overall in 1984 and 1985. Bell was a 20-time competitor in the Rolex 24, beginning in 1971 when he co-drove the Gulf Porsche 917K with Jo Siffert. Bell was the fastest qualifier in 1973, in a Gulf Ford-Mirage. His most recent appearance was in 2003, co-driving Jim Derhaag’s Corvette with his son Justin Bell – who had the fastest lap in qualifying.

His many international accomplishments include five overall victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans – including victories with Holbert and Hans Stuck in a Rothmans Porsche 962 in 1986-87 – and World Sportscar Championship titles in 1985 and 1986.

The Classic 24 features six period-correct run groups rotating through a full 24 hours of racing on the 3.56-mile Daytona road course. The groups – which include various classes of similar-era race cars – each take to the track four times throughout the 24 hours. The competitors in each class covering the most total distance in their group's four one-hour sessions will be crowned Classic 24 at Daytona champions.