DEREK BELL

The Legend

While I am notionally a retired racing driver, no month goes by without testing something interesting. During October, I was fortunate to play with everything from pre-war leviathans to the latest Bentley Continental GT3 racer, but one car stood out from the crowd: an Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 TT12. While I am primarily remembered as a Porsche driver, I enjoyed great success with these characterful sports-prototypes during the mid-1970s, and my appreciation for this most historic of marques hasn’t wavered in the interim.

I was on hand at Alfa’s Balocco test track to drive three historic Alfas: a TZ2, an early V8 Tipo 33 and the flat-12-engined 33 TT12. I was there to do some shooting for a short film, and enjoyed pounding around alongside fellow Alfa old boys Nanni Galli and Arturo Merzario. It was the youngest car that really intrigued me, though, as 40 years have passed since I last drove one in anger. I often get invited to drive cars I raced in period, but most haven’t improved with age and aren’t as good as I remember. I recalled the TT12 with great fondness so I hoped that wouldn’t be the case here.

It wasn’t. If anything, my appreciation for the model was heightened. Back in 1975, my bid to become a Formula 1 superstar had been consigned to history. I tried to maintain some sort of involvement with single-seaters, but I was acutely aware that I was now considered a ‘sports car driver’. Previously, I had driven them between engagements in open-wheelers. They were a means to an end. I enjoyed racing them, for the most part, but I still thought of myself as a Grand Prix driver first and foremost.

But, whereas in F1 I tended to be lumbered with cars that a lot of other drivers wouldn’t so much as sit in, I often steered frontline sports cars, or near enough. Having parity of equipment made all the difference, and I relished beating Grand Prix stars of the day when they were slumming it between F1 outings.

I started my last World Championship Grand Prix in 1974 and I went into the following year knowing that the JWA/Gulf team, with whom I had raced on and off for several years, was going to shrink its sports car programme. In fact, it did only one race: the Le Mans 24 Hours, which I won in 1975 with Jacky Ickx. It was looking like slim pickings for me until Willi Kauhsen invited me to drive his Alfas. Even though Willi had raced Porsches very successfully, I barely knew him so to get a phone call out of the blue was quite a surprise. Would I like to share a car with Henri Pescarolo in the World Championship for Makes? Hell, yes!

I vividly remember going to Paul Ricard to test the TT12 for the first time. Truck after truck arrived, each disgorging more Alfas and equipment. The cars were appallingly prepared, with wheels pointing in different directions, or rear wings that were higher on one side than the other. I began to think ‘Here we go again’, expecting it was going to be like F1 with me now doomed to tool around in rubbish sports cars as well.

Then I ventured out on track and I couldn’t believe how awful it was to drive. Now I really knew I was in trouble. But no. Willi took on the project from Autodelta on the understanding that he would run the show and use his own highly drilled team.

The cars were transformed by the time the season started. Henri and I won the Dijon and Monza 1000km races and the Watkins Glen 6 Hours, and I took a solo Interserie win at Avus. Pesca and I used to regularly rev them to 11,500rpm – sometimes more for brief periods – and they always kept going. And the sound! Few engines were more vocal than that Alfa flat-12. A personal highlight of the year was qualifying our car on pole at the Glen, and then taking second spot on the grid in the sister car. What made it even more satisfying was that Mario Andretti had joined the team. It was extremely pleasing to have out-qualified such a world-class driver.

Moving back to the present, my reunion with the TT12 was a prelude to racing it at Paul Ricard alongside Sam Hancock. Unfortunately, we were forced to retire the car while in third place, but it was fun while it lasted. I swear I can still hear it.

Willi was on hand in France and it was enjoyable to chat with him for the first time since the ’70s. I wanted to know why he asked me to drive for him all those years ago. Sadly, our conversation was interrupted so I never did get an answer.

Anyway, I’m glad he did.