--- title: Andy Wallace · HICONIUM description: Andy Wallace in the HICONIUM register — 2 files carrying their credit. canonical_url: https://hiconium.dev/people/andy-wallace image: https://hiconium.dev/og/people/andy-wallace.png --- > HICONIUM · Index: https://hiconium.dev/llms.txt · Every page: append `.md` or send `Accept: text/markdown`. > Path: [Home](https://hiconium.dev/) › [People](https://hiconium.dev/people) › Andy Wallace > On this page: [High-speed tyre work](#high-speed-tyre-work) · [Open-top Vmax composure](#open-top-vmax-composure) · [Lift, do not brake](#lift-do-not-brake) · [2 files carry this name](#2-files-carry-this-name) ![​Legendary racing driver and 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Andy Wallace relived his 1988 victory by taking to the Silverstone circuit to drive the Jaguar XJR9-LM during day and night back-to-back with th](https://hiconium.dev/_derived/images/people/andy-wallace/portrait.jpg.w1920.q75.webp) People # Andy Wallace Le Mans winner and Bugatti Pilote Officiel | Label | Value | | --- | --- | | Born | Oxford, England, 1961 | | Nationality | British | Jaguar MENA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons The record Oxford-born racing driver who won Le Mans in 1988 with Silk Cut Jaguar, set factory top-speed figures in the Jaguar XJ220 and McLaren F1, and remains Bugatti’s Pilote Officiel. Born in Oxford on 19 February 1961, Wallace took a Jim Russell trial at Silverstone for his fifteenth birthday, then worked as a British Gas technician to fund a Hawke DL11 Formula Ford. His first practice, on 31 August 1979, ended in a roll; in 1980 he won the pre-1974 Formula Ford championship. He was runner-up in British Formula 3 with Swallow Racing in 1985, then won the 1986 Lucas title for Madgwick Motorsport and the Macau Grand Prix. Jan Lammers recommended him to Tom Walkinshaw. A 1987 Formula 3000 season with Madgwick produced no wins; Formula 1 seats asked for a budget he did not have. Walkinshaw tested him at Paul Ricard. After Jerez and Road Atlanta he reached Le Mans in 1988 with no test day and, sharing the Silk Cut Jaguar XJR-9 with Lammers and Johnny Dumfries, won on his first start — Jaguar’s first victory there in 31 years. A full-time TWR contract followed. In 1990 he won Daytona in an XJR-12 with Lammers and Davy Jones. In 1991, Wallace drove Jaguar XJ220 pre-production chassis 004 to 213 mph during tyre and high-speed testing at Fort Stockton, Texas. Jaguar documented the run in its 2012 XJ220 anniversary archive. He later raced Toyota’s TS010 and McLaren F1 GTRs across 21 Le Mans starts, the last with RML in 2010. In 1998 he took McLaren prototype XP5 to a 240.1 mph two-way average at Ehra-Lessien. He joined Bugatti in 2011. In 2019 he drove the Chiron Super Sport 300+ to 490.48 km/h at Ehra-Lessien. Bugatti identifies Wallace as its Pilote Officiel. On 9 November 2024, he drove the one-off W16 Mistral World Record Car to 453.91 km/h at ATP Automotive Testing Papenburg, where SGS-TÜV Saar confirmed an open-top speed record. A March 2026 Bugatti release still used that title. ### High-speed tyre work Jaguar used XJ220 chassis 004 for tyre and high-speed testing at Fort Stockton. Wallace recorded 213 mph there, the maximum Jaguar later published as the production car’s factory top speed. ### Open-top Vmax composure In the W16 Mistral World Record Car he used Papenburg’s banking to build speed, then released the W16 on the straight. He said the open car felt stable enough that it seemed to want more than the 453.91 km/h SGS-TÜV Saar recorded. ### Lift, do not brake At Ehra-Lessien in the Chiron Super Sport 300+ he lifted from about 482 km/h rather than braking, because a hard stop would unbalance the car. The 8.8-kilometre straight still left him too fast into the banking. The stations 1. 1985 Swallow Racing British Formula 3 driver 2. 1986 Madgwick Motorsport British Formula 3 driver 3. 1987–1988 Madgwick Motorsport Formula 3000 driver 4. 1988–1991 Tom Walkinshaw Racing Silk Cut Jaguar works driver 5. 1991–1993 Toyota Team TOM's Sportscar driver 6. 1991–1993 All American Racers IMSA driver 7. 1995–1996 Mach One Racing McLaren F1 GTR driver 8. 1995–2007 Dyson Racing Sportscar driver 9. 1997–1999 Panoz Motorsports Sportscar driver 10. 1998 McLaren High-speed test driver 11. 1999 Audi Sport UK Le Mans driver 12. 2000 Team Cadillac Le Mans driver 13. 2001–2002 Team Bentley Sportscar driver 14. 2006–2010 Ray Mallock Limited LMP2 driver 15. 2008–2009 Childress Howard Motorsports Grand-Am driver 16. 2011– Bugatti Pilote Officiel The houses [![Bugatti](https://hiconium.dev/images/marques/full/bugatti.svg)](https://hiconium.dev/manufacturers/bugatti) [![Jaguar](https://hiconium.dev/images/marques/full/jaguar.svg)](https://hiconium.dev/manufacturers/jaguar) Credited through Bugatti, Jaguar. In the register ## 2 files carry this name - [Bugatti Mistral Pilote Officiel · Bugatti As Bugatti Pilote Officiel he drove the one-off W16 Mistral World Record Car at Papenburg on 9 November 2024, using a warm-up lap then the banking to reach 453.91 km/h, confirmed by SGS-TÜV Saar as an open-top record. 2024– €5M 2024– €5M Rating 88.0](https://hiconium.dev/vehicles/bugatti/mistral) - [Jaguar XJ220 High-speed test driver · Jaguar During TWR-Jaguar pre-production testing in 1991 he drove chassis 004, one of ten pre-production cars, through tyre and high-speed work at Fort Stockton and recorded the 213 mph figure Jaguar later published as the model’s maximum. 1992–1994 €600k 1992–1994 €600k Rating 87.0](https://hiconium.dev/vehicles/jaguar/xj220) The files above are the register's own record of this name. [The people index](https://hiconium.dev/people) holds everyone the register credits. In their words > “I got the sense that it wanted to go faster.” Andy Wallace · Bugatti Newsroom, 2024 Sources - [archive.jaguar.com](https://archive.jaguar.com/en-gb/news/2012/01/marking-20-years-launch-jaguar-xj220) - [media.jaguar.com](https://media.jaguar.com/en-us/news/2012/01/marking-20-years-launch-jaguar-xj220) - [newsroom.bugatti.com](https://newsroom.bugatti.com/press-releases/a-record-breaking-force-of-nature) - [newsroom.bugatti.com](https://newsroom.bugatti.com/en/press-releases/racing-legend-andy-wallace-and-bugatti-bolide-when-destinies-cross-paths) - [newsroom.bugatti.com](https://newsroom.bugatti.com/en/press-releases/bugatti-pilote-officiel-andy-wallace-inducted-into-the-sebring-hall-of-fame) - [newsroom.bugatti.com](https://newsroom.bugatti.com/en/press-releases/andy-wallace-dream-job-as-bugatti-test-driver) - [newsroom.bugatti.com](https://newsroom.bugatti.com/en/press-releases/feeling-the-track-bugatti-bolide) - [newsroom.bugatti.com](https://newsroom.bugatti.com/en/press-releases/the-final-bolide-a-vision-becomes-legacy) - [24h-lemans.com](https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/andy-wallace-and-his-21-participations-in-the-24-hours-of-le-mans-48020) - [24h-lemans.com](https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/andy-wallace-looks-back-on-his-victory-at-the-1988-24-hours-of-le-mans-47960) - [24h-lemans.com](https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/24-hours-of-le-mans-jaguar-a-le-mans-daytona-one-two-in-1990-video-18374) - [evo.co.uk](https://www.evo.co.uk/features/206785/my-life-cars-andy-wallace-racer-and-bugatti-test-driver) - [bugattirevue.com](https://bugattirevue.com/revue77/wallace.htm) - [roadandtrack.com](https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/classic-cars/videos/a32423/mclaren-f1-top-speed-record-history/) - [oldracingcars.com](https://www.oldracingcars.com/f3/uk/1986/) - [oldracingcars.com](https://www.oldracingcars.com/driver/Andy_Wallace) - [rml-adgroup.com](http://www.rml-adgroup.com/racing/driverbiog_andywallace.htm) - [racingsportscars.com](https://www.racingsportscars.com/driver/results/Andy-Wallace-GB.html) - [driverdb.com](https://www.driverdb.com/drivers/andy-wallace) - [wikidata.org](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q220552)