Derek Bell / Jim Russell graduate, 1964
A true legend in the sport, Derek Bell has five 24 Hours of Le Mans and three 24 Hours of Daytona wins to his credit while driving for the Porsche factory. One of the few drivers to be successful in both sports cars and open wheel, Bell raced with Ferrari and McLaren among others. For his achievements, Bell was knighted by Queen Elizabeth as a Member of the British Empire. He was born on 31 October 1941 in Middlesex, England.
Memo Gidley / Jim Russell graduate 1992
Memo Gidley is a quintessential example of perseverance. Gidley began his racing career not behind the wheel, but by turning a wrench as a Jim Russell mechanic in 1992, trading pay for seat time. He was immediately fast and rocketed up the junior ladder in both cars and karts. Within 5 years, he was a fully fledged professional driver, with Derek Walker’s team in CART before stints with Chip Ganassi Racing and Rocketsports. Gidley has also enjoyed success in sports cars. Famously at one point, Gidley once spent four months living in his pick-up truck with his go-kart in the back while pursuing his dream of racing professionally. Gidley was born in La Paz, Mexico 29 September 1970 and holds both U.S. and Mexican citizenship.
Scott Speed / Jim Russell graduate, 2000
The latest American to become a member of the Formula One™ fraternity, Scott Speed drove for the Red Bull-backed Toro Rosso squad from 2006 to 2007. For the 2008 season, Speed came back stateside to drive stock cars and in 2009 began his first full season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. His early years included multiple karting championships and the Formula Russell Series title in 2001. He was born in Manteca, CA on 24 January 1983.
Gilles Villeneuve / Jim Russell graduate, 1968
His life was tragically cut short while qualifying for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder, yet he remains one of the few drivers whose legend continued to grow after his time had passed. The beloved French-Canadian driver still has legions of fans as witnessed by the plentiful artwork and tributes that remain prevalent. Villeneuve won 6 grands prix for Ferrari and was the title runner-up to his teammate in 1979. He went to the Jim Russell School at Le Circuit Mont Tremblant before winning in Formula Ford and Formula Atlantic, including the title in 1976 and 1977. Later that year he entered his first Formula One race driving a McLaren. He was born in Richelieu, Quebec on 18 January 1950.
Dan Wheldon / Jim Russell graduate
At age 21, Dan Wheldon left England for America to pursue his racing and with an Indy 500 and IndyCar Series Championship among his list of achievements. He hasn’t looked back since. 1999 was his first year of racing stateside in the U.S. Formula Ford 2000 Championship where he won Rookie of the Year honors. That streak would continue up through the Atlantic, Indy Lights and IndyCar Series ranks. In only his second year of IndyCar racing he pulled off the double winning both the 500 and season title in 2005. For 2006, Wheldon nearly garnered back-to-back IndyCar Series titles having tied for the championship lead at season’s end; however, the tie-breaker didn’t go his way as he claimed just two wins on the season compared to the title winner’s four. Wheldon was born on 22 June 1978 in Buckinghamshire, England.
