Race Car Driver Townsend Bell Wins 24 Hours of Le Mans in France
By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor
Palisadian Townsend Bell is on top of the world – the racing world, that is.
On June 19, he and his American teammates won the GTE-Am class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France in only their second appearance at the world-famous endurance classic.
Bell was behind the wheel for nine of the 24 hours and was the driver who eased the Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 458 Italia into the lead for the first time late Saturday evening. Bell shared his triumph with Bill Sweedler and Jeff Segal, who took the checkered flag just after 3 p.m. Sunday to finish three minutes ahead of the second-place car. The trio completed 331 laps of the 8.5-mile Circuit de la Sarthe, while the Scuderia Corsa crew executed 25 mistake-free pit stops.
Bell, who started racing karts at age 12, made his sports car debut in 2012 at the 12 Hours of Sebring—a race he won. He started in the fourth position and led for 12 laps early at this year’s Indy 500 before colliding with his teammate’s car in pit row and ultimately finishing 21st.
In October, Bell and Sweedler won the IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship’s GT-Daytona series, coming from behind to power Scuderia Corsa to the Petit Le Mans title at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia.
A Palisadian since 2010, Bell and his wife Heather live near the top of Chautauqua with their sons Jaxon (13) and Jensen (10). The 41-year-old is also a motorsports commentator for NBC Sports’ IndyCar coverage.
Last Sunday, Bell shared his thoughts on winning the 84th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in an interview with Palisadian-Post Sports Editor Steve Galluzzo:
PP: What’s the most satisfying aspect of winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans?
TB: Winning by almost three minutes with two fellow Americans and hearing our national anthem played. It’s an achievement to be proud of, especially in a largely European-dominated race.
PP: What’s the biggest challenge in a race of this length?
TB: For me, it’s really hard to get any sleep. We had a private motor home but even then it’s so loud anywhere you are. It takes at least an hour for the adrenaline to wear off and then I’m constantly thinking about what I have to do on my next shift. By the time it’s over you feel completely wasted. Nine hours of intense racing, with all of the G-forces and the intense heat in the cockpit… it’s tough.
PP: How much of winning can be attributed to the car and how much to the driver?
TB: Before the actual race, the driver has a huge impact on the setup and the team can make a huge difference. Once the race starts, it’s 70/30 in favor of the car, but you still have to go into a race with a strategy and everyone on the team has to work together.
PP: How does this compare with the Indy 500?
TB: Indy will always be my favorite and I still feel the sting from Indy… it hurts because we had a great chance there and to win that and Le Mans – the two biggest races in our sport – in the same year would’ve been great. I’m happy winning one of them, though. The best way I can describe it is to say driving an Indy car is similar to flying an F-16 jet. I’ve always been drawn to speed.
PP: What’s the difference between those two races?
TB: They’re completely different events. Indy is on an oval at a much higher speed, with only left turns and the crowd is packed into one stadium. Le Mans is a road race with twisting right and left turns and more than half of the track is on highways.
PP: How do you compare this victory with other events you have won in your career?
TB: I don’t really compare them because every win is special for different reasons. This one is memorable because it’s very rare for a race to go so perfect. It’s so fun to win with those guys. We’ve had a lot of success together. With Scuderia Corsa we’ve won Le Mans as well as the IMSA championship. At Le Mans, the Ferrari was exceptional and my teammates were so fast that we won it with a margin. You couldn’t ask for a better race.
PP: How did the three of you split up the driving during the race?
TB: We went nine-nine-six, so I drove for three different stints totaling nine hours. Jeff [Segal] actually drove the last part. There are different driver ratings and depending on what divison you’re in the rules require a certain number of amateur drivers per team. I was the pro driver on our team.
PP: What was it like on the podium with your team?
TB: It was a combination of relief, excitement and surprise. I think we were all a bit shocked.
PP: You were third in your first Le Mans race last year. Did that give you motivation to win?
TB: Absolutely. Our ambition was to get back there and win. We didn’t know what to expect last year but I knew if we came back with the same team we could win.
PP: Will you be celebrating the Fourth of July back home in Pacific Palisades?
TB: Yes! The last few years I’ve driven the pace car in the morning. This time I’ve got travel commitments and won’t make it back in time for the race, but I’m flying in around noon to watch the parade with my family. It’s one of the most fun days in the Palisades.
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