After more than 20 years competing as a professional racing driver, yesterday saw Rob Bell confirmed in the role of McLaren Motorsport Sporting Director, the brand’s longest-serving factory driver rewarded with a role with real meaning and purpose for the future alongside newly appointed Director of Motorsport, Ian James.
Sadly for those who have enjoyed his on-track exploits since his GT race debut in 2005 which saw him take a one-off win in an Aston Martin DBR9 at the Nurburgring (alongside fellow GT survivor Darren Turner) his new role will see an end to his active Pro driving carer that has encompassed spells as a factory driver with SRT Viper and Aston Martin as well as McLaren.
His time with the brand with which he has become most associated has covered development, testing, and race roles with the whole range of cars produced since McLaren returned to GT racing in 2012: The MP4/12C GT3, 570S GT4, 650S GT3, 720S GT3 and Evo and the Artura GT4 ad Artura Trophy. Indeed as part of his new duties, Rob will also continue in his ambassadorial role with the single-make McLaren Trophy series, which will continue to grow in 2025.
That driving career has seen 338 races started, 36 wins, and 95 podiums, including campaigns at events, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 24 Hours of Spa, Daytona 24 Hours, Bathurst 12 Hours, Sebring 12 Hours, and Petit Le Mans.
That total includes Championship wins in Blancpain Endurance Championship (2016), Asian Le Mans Series champion (2015/16) (above), International GT Open (2017), and the Le Mans Series (2007 and 2008) (pictured below. His final visit to the top step was Pro-Am class victory at the Gulf 12 Hours at the end of last season.
His development prowess was used to good effect too with several other track-focused cars including the initially GTE intended Senna GTR and with work on the McLaren 720S GT3X track car, showcasing its capabilities to a global audience by winning the Hillclimb Shootout at the 2021 Goodwood Festival of Speed.
In the new position of Sporting Director meanwhile, Rob will have a proactive role within the Customer Racing arena. He will now be working closely with all customers competing across the GT3 and GT4 championships, as well as being actively involved with the management and development of the McLaren stable of Factory and Young drivers.
“I am hugely proud of all that I have achieved over the past 20-plus years, and I owe a huge amount of thanks to a wide range of people. My family, teams, manufacturers, championships, teammates, media, fans and countless others who have supported and worked with me on the journey. I will be forever grateful to them all. This next step is a completely new challenge for me, albeit with a brand that I have worked closely with, that I know inside out, and have raced for, for over a decade.
“I am delighted to continue my journey with McLaren, building on what we have achieved together. I am really looking forward to continuing the work to strengthen our Customer Racing programme off track. Our products and teams continue to fight at the sharp end of grids across the world, and the results do the talking, so I am really looking forward to using the experience and the networks I have built over these past years to strengthen our relationships, enhance our driver pool, and provide the best support and experience to our customers – whether they are competing at grassroots levels or in the World Endurance Championship.”
Good luck Rob and thanks for all of the on-track entertainment.
