Ride along with Derek Bell in this epic Le Mans onboard

SIT down and strap in, because this is one hell of a ride.

Since the 24 Hours of Le Mans is taking place this weekend, we at Wheels thought it would be prudent to remind you of what it used to be like to race in the toughest sports car race in the world.

The year is 1983, the Mulsanne straight is void of chicanes, and Derek Bell is armed with a Porsche 956.

Ride onboard with Bell as he holds the car at full throttle down the seemingly never-ending straight, the outside world transformed into a 300km/h+ blur.

Bell shared his 956 with racing legend Jacky Ickx that year, with the pair finishing second behind the winning 956 which was piloted by Aussie Vern Schuppan alongside Hurley Haywood and Al Holbert.

Bell and Ickx nabbed both pole and the fastest lap of the race, at 3:16.560 and 3:29.070 respectively.

Neel Jani qualified on pole for the 2016 race with a 3:19.733 lap of the La Sarthe circuit – which included two chicanes on the Mulsanne.