History repeated itself from 17-20 March when Derek Bell piloted a single-seater Lotus for the first time since achieving a podium place at Silverstone in 1966 driving a Lotus 41. This time around he was in a younger car – Emerson Fitipaldi's World Championship-winning 72 – when he took to the track during the first Top Gear Festival at Kyalami, South Africa. Bell was sharing the track with a host of other aces including local boy and 1979 World Champ Jody Scheckter (in a Ferrari 312) and David Coulthard in a Red Bull F1 car.
After the drive, Bell said: "It was like going out with an old girlfriend, you instinctively know what to do. To win World Championships, you know that this car has to be outstanding and it was. The 72 was so much more than I expected, beautifully prepared and a joy to drive. It was fantastic to be back on the circuit at Kyalami. South Africa was traditionally the last round of the World Sports Car Championship, the reception from the fans as always, and still is, superb. They appreciated the racing and that was apparent over the course of the Top Gear Festival... despite the weather."
James Elliott is a former Editor of Classic & Sports Car