Q&A: Derek Bell Former Porsche factory driver
Talk about your experiences with PDK in Group C racing.
Porsche was always developing something new, so you had to be prepared for that. I believe I first ran it at a test at Paul Ricard. The principle was brilliant; we picked up time, without a doubt. But it didn't often happen the way it was supposed to. It added a lot of extra weight. I have to say, it felt like you had a trailer on the back. A failure nearly cost me the world championship in 1986. But Porsche would stick to something, because that's what they had to do.
Are you surprised to see PDK on a road car today?
Nothing is a surprise with Porsche. They have such a good group of engineers who do things for good reasons. I'm sure it also doesn't add a ton of weight. Sure, it's twenty-some years down the road, but they haven't been sitting on their thumbs.
Read the rest of our interview with Porsche legend Derek Bell here.