Andy Wallace

Andy Wallace is a British racing driver whose career started in the early 1980s and he is still active in historic racing competitions. Although he gained some success in the single-seater racing early in a career, Wallace was the most successful in the sports car racing, being one of the world's best endurance drivers. He won the Triple Crown of endurance racing, taking overall victories in three most known races - 24h Le Mans (1988), 24h Daytona (1990, 1997, 1999) and 12h Sebring (1992,1993).

Wallace scored his maiden win at Le Mans in his debut with Silk Cut Jaguar team in 1988, driving the Jaguar XJR9-LM. Later in a career, he took three overall podiums at Le Mans with three British manufacturers Jaguar, McLaren and Bentley. At Daytona 24h, he was the winner with Jaguar once and two times with Dyson Racing's Riley & Scott-Ford. At Sebring 12h, Wallace scored both wins with All American Racers' Eagle-Toyota.

Andy Wallace

Star of tomorrow's first success in the Formula 3

Andy Wallace was born on February 19, 1961, in Oxford, England. His first racing experience came in 1980 when he entered the Dunlop Star of Tomorrow Formula Ford 1600 Championship. He was the star of tomorrow indeed.

The first notable result in open-wheel competitions came in 1985, when he was the runner-up in the British Formula 3 Championship, driving the Reynard 853 (Volkswagen) for Swallow Racing and losing a title to Mauricio Gugelmin.

1986 British F3 champion and Macau GP winner

Next year, in 1986, he joined Madgewick Racing and became the British F3 champion, dominantly taking a title with eight wins in 18 races. He was driving the Reynard 863 (Volkswagen). That year, he also won the non-championship Macau Grand Prix at Macau Guia Circuit, beating Mauricio Gugelmin and Jan Lammers.

In 1987, Andy's main competition was the International Formula 3000. Without wins or podiums, he finished 16th in the points. He competed in selected races of the 1988 Formula 3000, but then he decided to focus on sports car racing.

Andy Wallace's Le Mans-winning #2 Jaguar XJR-9

Le Mans 24h victory for Andy in the first attempt

The milestone change happened in 1988 when Andy Wallace joined Silk Cut Jaguar team in the World Sports-Prototype Championship and IMSA GTP Championship. He debuted with Jaguar XJR-9 at Jerez, taking the second place together with John Nielsen and John Watson.

In June 1988, in his third race with Jaguar, Wallace debuted at 24h LeMans and sensationally won the race, sharing the #2 Jaguar XJR-9 LM with Jan Lammers and Johnny Dumfries. They beat factory entered Porsche 962, interrupting the streak of seven consecutive wins for Porsche at Le Mans. Later in the season, Wallace had one more race with Jaguar, the Brands Hatch 1000 kilometers.

Podium in Daytona 24h debut

In February 1989, Wallace debuted at 24 hours of Daytona with Castrol Jaguar Racing, sharing the #61 Jaguar XJR-9 with Price Cobb, John Nielsen and Jan Lammers. They finished second.

During 1989, Wallace participated full season in the World Sports-Prototype Championship with Silk Cut Jaguar, not scoring any podium or win and he finished 10th in the final standings. At Le Mans 24h, he was sharing the car with John Nielsen and Price Cobb. They retired after 215 laps.

Victorious car at 1990 Daytona 24 hours

Maiden Daytona victory for Wallace in 1990

In February 1990, Wallace managed to win Daytona 24 hours for the first time, sharing the #61 Jaguar XJR-12 with Davy Jones and Jan Lammers. In March, he debuted at 12 hours of Sebring, with the same teammates, finishing in third place.

Jaguar took another Le Mans victory in June 1990, with #3 XJR-12, but Wallace was in the #2 car which finished in second place. His co-drivers were Jan Lammers and Franz Konrad. In the 1990 World Sports-Prototype Championship, Wallace scored three podiums and finished fourth in the standings, behind three Sauber Mercedes' drivers.

Three different teams in 1991

In 1991, Wallace competed with three different teams in three championships. In the US, he joined All American Racers to drive Eagle HF-90 (Toyota) at Daytona and Sebring, retiring in both races. In Japan, he joined Toyota Team Tom's in four races of the Japanese Sports-Prototype Championship, driving Toyota 91C-V at Suzuka and Fuji.

At 24 hours of Le Mans, he participated fourth time in a row with Jaguar, sharing the #33 XJR-12 with John Nielsen and Derek Warwick. They finished in 4th place.

Wallace scored two Sebring wins with Eagle-Toyota

1992 – Maiden Sebring victory with Eagle-Toyota

In 1992, Wallace repeated the participation with All American Racers at Daytona and Sebring, driving the Eagle MkIII-Toyota. After 11th place at Daytona 24h, he scored his maiden victory at Sebring 12 hours, sharing the #99 car with Juan Manuel Fangio II.

In the World Sportscar Championship and at Le Mans, Wallace was driving for Toyota Team Tom's. His partners at Le Mans were Jan Lammers and Teo Fabi, they finished in 8th place.

1993 – Wallace and Fangio defended Sebring's trophy

In 1993, Wallace rejoined All American Racers at Daytona and Sebring. After not finishing the race at Daytona, he defended Sebring's trophy, again driving the Eagle MkIII-Toyota together with Juan Manuel Fangio II.

At 24 hours of Le Mans, Wallace didn't finish the race, sharing the #37 Toyota TS010 with Pierre-Henri Raphanel and Kenny Acheson.

He also participated in one race of the British Touring Car Championship, driving the BMW 318is for Team Dynamics at Oulton Park.

In 1994, Andy Wallace competed in the DTM with Alfa Romeo

1994 – DTM season with Alfa Romeo

In 1994, Wallace completely changed motorsport discipline, competing in the DTM, driving Alfa Romeo 155 V6 Ti for Schübel Engineering. In ten races, his best result was the 5th place at Donington Park and he finished 23rd in the points.

During that season, Wallace was driving Spice prototypes with different teams in the IMSA Championship. The highlight of the season was the second place at 12 hours of Sebring, together with Derek Bell and James Weaver in the #9 Auto Toy Store's Spice SE89P-Chevrolet.

1995 Le Mans podium with McLaren

In 1994, Wallace skipped Le Mans 24h for the first time after six appearances. He returned to Circuit de la Sarthe in 1995, driving the #51 McLaren F1 GTR for Harrods Mach One/David Price Racing. His co-drivers were father and son Derek Bell and Justin Bell. They finished third overall, two laps behind another McLaren.

For the rest of the season, Wallace participated with four different teams in the IMSA Championship and Global GT Championship, driving Spice SE90 (Chevrolet), Riley & Scott MkIII (Ford), De Tomaso Pantera and McLaren F1 GTR. His most notable result was the 2nd place at Sebring 12h, together with Jan Lammers and Derek Bell in Auto Toy Store's Spice SE90. In the Global GT Championship, he scored three wins with Mach One Racing's McLaren, finishing 7th in the points.

Only one victory for Andy  in 1996

In 1996, Wallace had a similar schedule, competing in the IMSA Championship with Dyson Racing and in the Global GT Championship with David Price Racing and Lotus Racing. His only victory was at Silverstone 4 hours, together with Olivier Grouillard in McLaren.

At Le Mans, he was again in David Price Racing's McLaren F1 GTR, sharing the car with Derek Bell and Olivier Grouillard, They finished 6th overall.

Andy was among seven drivers who scored 1997 Daytona 24h victory

Second Daytona 24h victory in 1997

The season of 1997 started with a victory at Daytona 24 hours.He was driving two cars for Dyson Racing. After #16 Riley & Scott-Ford stopped, he moved to #20 car and won the race, together with Elliot Forbes-Robinson, John Schneider, Rob Dyson, Butch Leitzinger, James Weaver and John Paul Jr. A month and a half later, Wallace finished second at Sebring 12 hours, together with Weaver and Leitzinger.

In 1997, Wallace also stayed with David Price Racing, competing in the FIA GT Championship. The team switched from McLaren to Panoz Esperante GTR1.  Wallace scored no wins or podiums with Panoz. At 1997 Le Mans, he retired after 236 laps, sharing the car with Weaver and Leitzinger.

1998 - a season with Panoz

Wallace returned to Le Mans with Panoz in 1998, sharing the #45 car with David Brabham and Jamie Davies. They finished 7th overall.

Wallace spent the entire season with Panoz, competing in the US Road Racing Championship. With two wins in GT1 class (Sebring and Las Vegas), he finished second in the points, behind Thierry Boutsen.

1999 Rolex 24 at Daytona winners

Third Daytona victory in 1999

Andy's third and last Daytona 24h victory followed in January 1999. He was a part of the #16 Dyson Racing crew in Riley & Scott (Ford) prototype, together with Butch Leitzinger and Elliot Forbes-Robinson.

Later in the season, Wallace participated with Dyson Racing in the American Le Mans Series and with Lister Storm Racing in a couple of races of the FIA GT Championship.

Le Mans attempts with Audi and Cadillac

As an accomplished prototype racer, Wallace was hired by Audi Sport UK to drive Audi R8C at 1999 Le Mans, together with fellow British drivers James Weaver and Perry McCarthy. They stopped after 198 laps due to a broken gearbox.

At 2000 Le Mans race, Wallace participated with Team Cadillac's Northstar LMP, sharing the car with Butch Leitzinger and Franck Lagorce. The result was not good, they finished 21st overall.

During 2000, Wallace was driving for the Team Cadillac in the Rolex Sports Car Series and American Le Mans Series. In the Rolex Series, he also competed with Dyson Racing, winning two races and finishing 7th in the points.

Andy Wallace with Audi R8

Two Le Mans participations with Bentley

In 2001 season, Wallace competed with Champion Racing and Dyson Racing in two American sports car championships, scoring many podiums but without wins. One of the podiums was the 3rd place at Sebring 12h with Champion Racing's Audi R8.

At 2001 Le Mans, Wallace had a debut with Bentley EXP Speed 8, sharing a car with Eric van de Poele and Butch Leitzinger. They finished 3rd overall and first in GTP class. In 2002, Wallace returned to Le Mans with Bentley, he was again GTP class winner and he finished 4th overall. Van de Poele and Leitzinger were his co-drivers again.

One more notable result in 2002 was the 2nd place at Sebring 12h with Champion Racing's Audi R8.

2003 – Racing for Holland at Le Mans

In 2003, Wallace again had a diverse schedule, starting with Daytona participation in Perspective Racing's Mosler MT900R. Sharing a car with Joao Barbosa, Jerome Policand and Michel Neugarten, he finished 9th overall and became a GTS class winner.

At 2003 Le Mans, Wallace joined Racing for Holland team, driving the #15 Dome S101-Judd alongside Jan Lammers and John Bosch. They finished 6th overall. In the American Le Mans Series, he spent a season with Dyson Racing, finishing 5th in LMP675 class.

2004 – third place both in ALMS and Grand-Am

In 2004, Wallace participated full season in the American Le Mans Series and Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series, finishing third in both championships. In the ALMS, he was driving MG-Lola EX257 for Dyson Racing, scoring five podiums. In the Grand-Am Series, he was driving Crawford-Pontiac for Howard-Boss Motorsports, scoring two wins and six podiums.

At 2004 Le Mans, Wallace joined Zytek Engineering to drive #22 Zytek 04S prototype together with David Brabham and Hayanari Shimoda. They retired after 167 laps.

Andy Wallace and Milka Duno in 2005

2005 – podiums both at Daytona and Sebring

In 2005, Wallace had the same commitments as in 2004, driving for Howard-Boss Motorsports in Grand-Am Series and for Dyson Racing in ALMS. He finished third overall with HBM's Crawford-Pontiac at Daytona 24h and third overall with Dyson's Lola EX257 at Sebring 12h. At the end of the season, he was 4th in the ALMS standings and 13th in Grand-Am classification.

At 2005 Le Mans, Wallace joined Creation Autosportif team to drive DBA 03S-Judd prototype together with Nicolas Minassian and Jamie Campbell-Walter. They finished 14th overall.

2006 Le Mans LMP2 class winners on a parade before the race

2006 Le Mans LMP2 class victory

In 2006, Wallace continued with a double programme in America but his most notable result was the LMP2 class victory at 24 hours of Le Mans. Wallace joined Ray Mallock Ltd to drive #25 MG Lola EX264, together with Mike Newton and Thomas Erdos.

In the American competitions, Wallace was 8th in the ALMS and 12th in the Grand-Am Series.

Three more Le Mans participations with RML

Wallace returned to Circuit de la Sarthe three more times with Ray Mallock Ltd (RML), sharing a car with Mike Newton and Thomas Erdos in all three participations. They retired two times, in 2007 and 2008, then scored LMP2 podium in 2010.

It was Wallace's last Le Mans participation. He was driving #3 Lola B08/80 (HPD), finishing 8th overall and 3rd in LMP2 class.

Andy Wallace pictured in 2015

Racing in America until 2011

Between 2007 and 2010, Wallace continued to race in American sports car championships, mostly with Dyson Racing and Howard Motorsports. In 2007, he finished third in the ALMS, driving the Porsche RS Spyder for Dyson Racing together with Butch Leitzinger.

Wallace's last full season was the 2010 American Le Mans Series. He was driving Oreca FLM09 in the LMPC class for Genoa Racing and Level 5 Motorsports. With three podiums, he finished 7th in the points.

Sports car races with historic cars

The last race for Wallace in the US was Laguna Seca 6 hours in September 2011, with Core Autosport's Oreca FLM09. Since then, he competed mostly in sports car races with historic cars.

In recent time, he gained most of his success with Jaguar D-Type, winning the Le Mans Classic competition in 2016.

Photos: crankandpiston.com, speedhunters.com, pbase.com, mg-lola.com,