Wallace, who was inducted into the Sebring Hall of Fame this month, went on from his racing career to become Bugatti’s official test driver in 2011.
He has tested and help develop some of the world’s fastest and most advanced hypercars ever built for the road, fine-tuning modern-day Bugattis like the Chiron1, Divo2 and Centodieci3.
Wallace set a world speed record in the Chiron in 2019, becoming the first person to ever exceed 300mph in a hypercar at the Ehra-Lessien test track – reaching 304.773mph.
“When I stopped competitive racing, I feared I would miss the adrenaline,” said Wallace. “But as soon as I first drove the Veyron, I had this realization that the raw thrill of racing car performance was available at Bugatti.
“It’s a privilege to work alongside the finest engineers in the world at the cutting edge of performance car development, especially as we embark upon an all-new era for Bugatti.”
Wallace’s amazing record at Sebring, where he amassed a record ten podium finishes in the 12 Hours from 19 starts, includes victories in consecutive years (1992 and 1993) and five second places. His other most notable race victories were at the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1988, and at the Daytona 24 Hours in 1990, 1997 and 1999.
“Much of my racing life was so non-stop that it wasn’t until very recently that I was told I held a record of podiums at Sebring,” said Wallace. “Only now am I really beginning to reflect on some of my achievements, and the two victories at Sebring in 1992 and 1993 certainly stand out as enormously proud moments.
“I remember breaking two ribs during testing for the 1992 race just weeks before, but I was so desperate to compete that I kept it to myself. The bumps of Sebring and the high speed corners were a challenge, but with focus and determination, Juan Manuel Fangio II and I took the victory.
“I always loved racing at Sebring – it’s a very special circuit – so to be inducted into the Hall of Fame is a real honor, especially given the caliber of some of my fellow inductees.”
Wallace was inducted into the Sebring HoF this year along with Jacky Ickx, Stefan Johansson and David Hobbs, who joined the likes of Juan Manuel Fangio, Carroll Shelby, Mario Andretti and Stirling Moss.
