As Hang On to your Hollyhocks Folks! We’re two
thirds of the way done…
Positions 6-7 on the “Depth Chart” of the
informal Triple crown of Sports Car endurance racing includes our second and
final Bloody Brit’. Along with the lone Italian to have accomplished this feat.
Andy Wallace
Birthplace: Oxford, England
DOB: February 19, 1961, Age: 62
Wins: Le Mans 1988; Daytona, (3)
1990, 1997, 1999 and Sebring 1992-93
When I began to scribble ‘bout Messer Wallace, our
sixth driver to win the Triple Crown. I immediately remembered having posted
something here upon No Fenders about enjoying Racer’s Richard S. James article
upon Hall of Famer Andy Wallace Taming the Bumps at Sebring.
As Bad Arse’ Sports Car Ace Andy Wallace was
inducted into last year’s Sebring Hall of Fame. With the stellar class of
inductees including ‘lil Stevie Johnson, aka Stefan Johansson, the original Mr.
Le Mans, nee Jacky Ickx, ‘Ol Hobbo’, nee HobbsCapp’, ergo David Hobbs and Oh
Yeah, that Walter Cronkite! For which I never knew that Cronkite actually
contested the 12 Hours of Sebring in a bloody Lancia!
And for those of Y’all who still Don’t think
Racing Drivers are Athletes! I especially loved the part about Wallace not
telling His Boss, the late Dan Gurney about his two broken Ribs for fear of
being replaced prior to winning that year’s Sebring 12 Hours race aboard the
All conquering All American Racers (AAR) Toyota Eagle MkIII!
As here’s James
article that triggered thoust memory about Wallace…
Very little seems to be known about Wallace’srise
thru the ranks of motor racing. Other than He began His racing career by taking
part in the Jim Russell Racing Drivers School in 1976. Meaning I’ve got zero
clue if Andy raced single seaters or not afterwards? Or if He progressed thru
the ranks of Saloons before reaching top flight prototypes?
Amazingly Wallace won the prestigious 24 Heurs
du Mans on His debut at Circuit de la Sarthe driving for Tom Walkinshaw Racing’s
eponymous Silk cut Jaguar’s. Behind the keyboard of an XJR-9.
What I like about Wallace’s winning of these most
iconic endurance races is that He did so driving threetotally different racecars.
From the closed top mighty Jag’s with it’s V-12 normally aspirated lump’. To
the high revving 2.1-litre “four-banger” turbocharged Toyota eagle. And then
later winning aboard Dyson Racing’s riley & Scott Mk III normally aspirated
Ford V8 open top “Spyder”prototype.
As it was certainly Foggy Bottoms for Mwah, as the
more I Hunt ‘N Pecked at my keyboard, the more I slowly recalled about Messer Wallace
from ye Wayback’ machine.
Like remembering that Andy had gotten married
to Catherine Crawford, daughter of then Andy’s Boss Max Crawford of Crawford
Composites while driving for Howard-Boss Motorsports. Where one of His regular
season teammates was thee Wanderin’ Milka, aka Milka Duno.
And then I also remembered that Wallace had
driven with “Smoke”, aka tony Stewart at the Rolex 24, the year being 2004 Me
Thinks? When I think Stewart must have Hit the Wall when leading? Since I
vaguely recall Stewart trying to limp to the finish on Sunday morning when a
two by four had been inserted to try fixing the damaged suspension…
Yes, it was the ’04 Rolex 24 where the Crawford’s
DP’s rear tyre inexplicably came off with some 17 minutes remaining in the race.
Where Stewart spun but apparently didn’t Hit anything!
Hence the reason for the temporary fix for the
car that had reportedly been leading the past 17 Hours. For which the stricken car
failed to finish. (DNF) But apparently Wallace, Stewart and some other driver
named ‘lil E’, aka Dale Earnhardt Jr’s lead was so big that they still finished
fifth overall in their Crawford DP03 Chevrolet V-8 Daytona Prototype.
As I love the typical sardonic, British understatement
in Wallace’s Bio’. Simply noting that He’s won over 25 major international
Endurance races during His career…
Meanwhile, Wallace was the man behind the wheel
of the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport as
Bugatti’s Test Driver who officially cracked the 300mph mark, with an astounding
record of 304.77mph in 2019
As that’s His second official Speed record, since
Andy also set the record prior in March, 1998. Driving a McLaren five year old F1
prototype at VW’s Ehra-Lexxien test track in Germany to a speed of 240.1mph!
With said recordstanding for eleven years, but still retains the record for
fastest normally aspirated production road car.
Mauro Baldi
Birthplace: Reggio Emilia, Italy
DOB: January 31, 1954, Age: 69
Wins: Le Mans, 1994; Daytona, (2)
1998, 2002 and Sebring 1998
Funny how much you forget over the years. Like
my having forgotten that Mauro Baldi is a former Formula 1 driver, the third on
this list of Triple Crown winners.
Mauro began as a Rally driver in 1972 before
switching to pavement racing in ’75. By 1980 He was a top notch Formula 3
driver, winning the 1981 F3 Monaco Grand Prix and European F3 Championship.
For ’82 Mauro drove for Jacky Oliver’s Arrows
Grand Prix team, before stints with Alfa Romeo and Spirit between 1982-85,
making 36 starts.
Baldi then switched to Sports Cars, first
winning at Le Mans in ’94 with Yannick Dalmas and Hurley Haywood in that
modified Dauer 962 Le Mans “Street Car”.
Ah, it’s Ah-comin’ back to me now, with Baldi’s
name being synonomous with Giampiero Moretti’s Momo Corse racing team.
Specifically behind the wheel of one of my favourite Ferrari’s, the evocative
333 SP.
Baldi swept the ’98 Florida endurance races for
Doran Moretti Racing with the likes of Gentleman racer Moretti, Arie Luyendyk
and Didier Theys. And then won again at Daytona four years later aboard Kevin
Doran’s Dallara Judd V-10.
As Doran was the late Al Holbert’s Chief Mechanic before going onto form His own successful race team.
