Townsend Bell may not be all that well-known this side of the Atlantic but he is actually one of the most talented American drivers of his generation. Young American drivers do not usually start out in karting – unlike their European or South American counterparts – instead learning their trade at the Skip Barber Racing School and Bell was no exception to that rule. He was, however, one of very few Americans to move into Formula One, where he was a test driver for Jaguar Racing and BAR Honda before switching to the IndyCar Series, the US single-seater championship.

In 2001, the young Californian took the Indy Lights title in the driver development programme for the IndyCar Series. However, he wasn’t taken on by any of the big teams and instead turned to endurance racing and the American Le Mans Series in 2012. He made his debut at the 12 Heures de Sebring and came away with a class win with Alex Job Racing and a certain Bill Sweedler, who would become his regular partner. "You soon get hooked on winning! It’s like eating at a restaurant with three Michelin stars – it tastes every bit as good and you want to go back for more!"

After stepping up to the top of the LM GTE Am podium in June, Bell is definitely looking forward to coming back to the 24 Hours of Le Mans next year. “More than a month has gone by since the race but I’m still savouring the victory. A win at Le Mans is a joint effort. Every piece of the puzzle has to fit – the car, the drivers and the rest of the team. As we approached the end of the race, the win was in sight and we knew we couldn’t make a single mistake.”

The Scuderia Corsa crew made it to the finish line error-free and, after coming third on their maiden Le Mans outing in 2015, climbed to the top step on the rostrum this time. So they must have done some celebrating? “Well, that was the plan,” says Bell. “But it didn’t quite happen. I was exhausted as I hadn’t slept all night, so I spent the evening in my hotel room near Charles de Gaulle airport! Nonetheless, the victory had a very special flavour to it, after such a hard season.”

It has indeed been a tough year for the duo. It got off to a bad start when O’Gara Motorsport pulled the plug on its racing programmes, putting an end to Bell and Sweedler’s WeatherTech SportsCar Championship campaign. Despite the pair clinching the GTD class title at the end of last year, there are currently no plans for them to race a round of the American championship. There was more bad luck to come during Bell’s ninth Indianapolis 500 race. He made contact with Helio Castroneves’ car, sending Bell spinning into teammate Hunter-Reay’s car in the pit lane, putting paid to all hopes of a victory even though he had led for twelve laps.

The class win at Le Mans was therefore all the more gratifying and Bell believes that the French twice-round-the-clock classic is quite unlike another race. “Le Mans is certainly one of the toughest races I know, because it’s very difficult avoid mistakes. In the United States, you can sometimes make up for lost time when the safety car comes out, but that’s just not possible at Le Mans. So the victory tastes even sweeter and it will remain as one of the high points of my career.”

San Francisco-born Bell, also an NBC Sports commentator, hopes to defend his title at next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans but, in the meantime, he’s enjoying a few days’ holiday with his family, taking his youngest son to play baseball and his eldest to none other than the Skip Barber School in Laguna Seca!

Photo: Townsend Bell at scrutineering ahead of this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans 2016.

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