Andy Wallace (racing driver)
Andrew Steven Wallace (born 19 February 1961) is a professional racing car driver from the United Kingdom, who has been racing since 1979. In 1976, Wallace attended the Jim Russell Racing Drivers' School. He is the current official Bugatti test driver. He has raced prototype sports cars since 1988, becoming the sixth driver to complete the informal triple Crown of endurance racing, and winning over 25 International Sports car races including:
- 24 Hours of Le Mans
- 24 Hours of Daytona (3 times)
- 12 Hours of Sebring (2 times)
- Petit Le Mans 1,000 miles (1,600 km).
Wallace in 2015 | |
| Nationality | British |
|---|---|
| Born | 19 February 1961 Oxford, England |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
| Years | 1988 - 1993, 1995 – 2008, 2010 |
| Teams | Silk Cut Jaguar Toyota Team Tom's Harrods Mach One Racing David Price Racing Panoz Motorsports Audi Sport UK Team Cadillac Team Bentley Racing for Holland Zytek Engineering Creation Autosportif RML |
| Best finish | 1st (1988) |
| Class wins | 4 (1988, 2001, 2002, 2006) |
Wallace was also the driver for the then record-setting speed of 386.4 km/h (240.1 mph) in a McLaren F1, which for over 11 years was the world record for the fastest production car. According to the Autosport's Le Mans supplement, he liked the place so much that he became resident there.
Wallace drove for Dyson Racing in the American Le Mans Series through the 2007 racing season.
In January 2008, Wallace drove for Alex Job Racing in the #23 Porsche-powered Daytona Prototype backed by Ruby Tuesday in the 24 Hours of Daytona, finishing in 36th place with engine problems.
On 2 August 2019, Wallace set a record of 300 mph in a Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+. It was revealed by Top Gear on 2 September in a Youtube video, showing a certified speed of 490.48 km/h (304.77 mph) and happened on the Ehra-Lessien test track owned by VW.