Famous Porsche Drivers: Herrmann, Siffert, Elford, Ickx, Bell, Bellof, Röhrl

The endurance racers, rally drivers and test drivers most closely tied to Porsche, and what each of them did in the cars.

Updated

The Rothmans Porsche 956 of Jacky Ickx and Derek Bell at the Silverstone 6 Hours in 1982
Photo: Martin Lee from London, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Porsche’s reputation was made in long-distance racing and on rally stages more than in Formula 1, so its famous drivers are endurance specialists and all-rounders. This is a selection, not a ranking, and it leaves out many who deserve a place.

Hans Herrmann

A Stuttgart-born driver whose career with Porsche ran from the 550 Spyder of the early 1950s to the 917. He took class wins on the Mille Miglia and the Carrera Panamericana, won the Targa Florio in 1960 and, sharing a red and white 917 K with Richard Attwood, gave Porsche its first overall victory at Le Mans in 1970. He retired from racing immediately afterwards, as he had promised his wife he would.

Jo Siffert and Pedro Rodríguez

The two fastest drivers of the 917 era, team-mates and rivals in the Gulf-liveried cars run by John Wyer’s JW Automotive in 1970 and 1971. Siffert, from Switzerland, had already won major races for Porsche in the 908, including the Targa Florio. Rodríguez, from Mexico, was at his best in the wet; his drive in the rain at Brands Hatch in 1970 is still talked about. Between them they secured the World Championship for Makes for Porsche in both years. Both were killed in racing accidents in 1971, in other cars.

Vic Elford

An Englishman who could win in anything. In 1968 he won the Monte Carlo Rally in a 911 and, a week later, the Daytona 24 Hours in a 907. The same year he won the Targa Florio with Umberto Maglioli after losing many minutes to a wheel problem on the first lap, and the Nürburgring 1000 km with Siffert. He was one of the few drivers who relished the long-tailed 917 at Le Mans. See the Col de Turini and the Targa Florio circuit for the roads.

Jacky Ickx

The Belgian won Le Mans six times, four of them for Porsche: in 1976 and 1977 with the 936, in 1981 with the 936 again, and in 1982 with the new 956. The 1977 win, when he was moved into a second car that was far down the order and drove through the night to bring it back to the front, is regarded as one of the great endurance drives. He was World Endurance Champion in 1982 and 1983, and later took the 959 to the Paris to Dakar rally.

Derek Bell

Ickx’s regular partner and Britain’s most successful Le Mans driver, with five wins. Four came in Porsches: 1981 and 1982 with Ickx, and 1986 and 1987 in the 962 with Hans-Joachim Stuck and Al Holbert. He was World Sportscar Champion in 1985 and 1986 and won the Daytona 24 Hours three times.

Hurley Haywood

The American endurance specialist won Le Mans three times, in 1977, 1983 and 1994, all in Porsches or Porsche-based cars, and the Daytona 24 Hours five times. He has been closely associated with Brumos Racing and with Porsche in North America throughout his career.

Stefan Bellof

In practice for the 1983 Nürburgring 1000 km, Bellof lapped the Nordschleife in a 956 in 6 minutes 11.13 seconds, a record that stood for 35 years. He won the World Endurance Championship in 1984 and was establishing himself in Formula 1 when he was killed at Spa-Francorchamps in 1985, aged 27, in a privately entered 956. The Nordschleife guide covers the circuit as it is today.

Walter Röhrl

Twice World Rally Champion with other marques, Röhrl has been tied to Porsche for decades as a development driver and ambassador. He rallied a 911 on tarmac in 1981 and, from the early 1990s, helped to set up road cars including the Carrera GT and several generations of the 911, doing much of the work on the Nordschleife.

Later generations

  • Bob Wollek, the Frenchman who drove Porsches at Le Mans for three decades without quite winning it.
  • Hans-Joachim Stuck, twice a Le Mans winner in the 962.
  • Timo Bernhard, a Porsche factory driver for most of his career, Le Mans winner in 2017 with the 919 Hybrid, who in 2018 lapped the Nordschleife in 5 minutes 19.55 seconds in the unrestricted 919 Hybrid Evo, finally beating Bellof’s time.
  • Nico Hülkenberg, Earl Bamber, Nick Tandy, Romain Dumas, Neel Jani, Marc Lieb and Brendon Hartley, who with Bernhard shared the 919 Hybrid’s three Le Mans wins from 2015 to 2017.
  • Jim Richards, the New Zealand-born touring car champion who won Targa Tasmania eight times in Porsches. See the Lyell Highway guide.

Actors who raced

Two film stars were serious Porsche racers. Steve McQueen finished second overall in the 1970 Sebring 12 Hours in a 908, sharing with Peter Revson, and then made the film Le Mans around the 917. Paul Newman finished second overall at Le Mans in 1979 in a 935.

For the cars these drivers raced, see famous Porsche cars. Historic meetings such as Le Mans Classic and the Goodwood Festival of Speed, listed on the events page, are the best places to see them run.