Chris Ingram (rally driver)

Chris Ingram (born 7 July 1994 in Manchester) is a British rally driver. In 2019, Ingram became the first British driver to win the European Rally Championship (2019) in 52 years since Vic Elford.

Chris Ingram
Chris Ingram, ERC press conference 2019
NationalityUnited Kingdom British
Born (1994-07-07) 7 July 1994
Manchester, England
Championship titles
2016


2017

2019
European Rally Championship 2 Wheel Drive Champion
European Rally ChampionshipJunior Under 27 Champion & ERC 3 Champion
FIA European Rally Championship Overall Champion
Awards
2012
2014
2015
2017
Motor Sport Association UK Young Driver of the Year
Colin McRae ERC Flat Out Trophy
Colin McRae ERC Flat Out Trophy
Colin McRae ERC Flat Out Trophy
World Rally Championship record
Active years2013–2018, 2021–present
Rallies20
Championships0
Rally wins0
Podiums0
Stage wins0
Total points4
First rally2014 Wales Rally GB
Last rally2022 Acropolis Rally

He won the 2012 Motor Sports Association Young Driver of the Year Award. He is a three time winner of the European Rally Championship Colin McRae Flat Out Award on the Circuit of Ireland Rally 2014, Rallye Açores 2015, and Rally Liepaja in 2017, and also won the Richard Burns Trophy on Wales Rally GB in 2017 for winning the Two-Wheel drive class. Ingram signed with Peugeot UK in August 2014 for the European Rally Championship driving a Peugeot 208 R2, which saw him become the youngest manufacturer-backed rally driver since Richard Burns. After two seasons with Peugeot, in January 2016 Ingram signed with German factory team Opel Motorsport and won the FIA ERC 3 title scoring five-consecutive podiums. In 2017 he won the FIA European Rally Championship Under 27 Junior title after three victories enabling him to step up into four-wheel drive for season 2018.

Career

Early career

Ingram began rallying aged 15 in the F1000 British Junior Rally Championship. In his debut season 2010, he finished second, and went on to take the championship in 2011 winning 6 from 7 rounds. When Ingram turned 17 he gained his road driving licence and competed in his first forest rally a few weeks later, finishing 1st in the RF 1400 class in the same Junior Championship winning 1000cc Citroën Sport C1

Age 17 Ingram made his debut in the 2012 British Rally Championship in a Renault Sport Twingo R2. He won the Renault Sport R2 Twingo Trophy. He piloted the official Renault Sport Clio R3 on Rallye du Var, finishing 5th in the Renault Challenge. Shortly after the event Ingram was nominated to take part in the Motor Sports Association Young Driver Shootout, against four young racing drivers. After a day of varied tests Ingram was crowned the MSA Young Driver of the Year and has become the only rally driver to win the award, judged by Robert Reid and David Brabham amongst others.

In 2013 after his debut French Rally, he competed in the European Rally Championship Ypres Rally. He was part of the Renault JB Malherbe Racing Spirit team with Max Vatanen, the son of Rally legend Ari Vatanen. In the French Rally Championship, Ingram finished on the Renault podium on Rallye Mont-Blanc and Rallye du Touquet. Towards the end of the year Ingram made his World Rally Championship debut finishing 1st place in the RC4 category.

In 2014, Ingram entered the inaugural European Rally Championship Junior series and won the Colin McRae Flat Out Award after crashing out from the lead of the ERC Juniors in the Circuit of Ireland Rally. On Rallye Açores, Ingram finished 2nd Junior. In August, Ingram joined with Peugeot UK driving a Peugeot 208 R2. [1] Ingram and his French co-driver Gabin Moreau scored their first class win for Peugeot at the WRC Wales Rally GB taking victory in the RC4 class by a convincing 2 minutes and 22 seconds. [2]

Chris Ingram and Gabin Moreau signed up for a full season in the European Rally Championship Junior series, which consisted of rounds in Latvia, Northern Ireland, The Azores, Belgium, Estonia and Czech Republic. After a podium in ERC Junior on the Circuit of Ireland Rally, on Rallye Açores, Ingram took his first ERC Junior victory and won the Colin McRae 'Flat Out Award' for the second time in his career. [3]

Ingram and Moreau entered the WRC Wales GB rally with the Autosport Technology team, making their debut in WRC3 and JuniorWRC, driving a Citroen DS3. Running 2nd in both classes, after completing 17 of the 19 stage event, they retired in a watersplash whilst in transit to the penultimate stage.[4]

FIA Junior European Rally Championship

Ingram signed with Opel Motorsport in January to remain competing in the European Junior series. Moreau left Ingram to compete in the 2016 World Rally Championship with Stéphane Lefebvre.[5] Ingram scored five-consecutive podiums in the ERC Junior and ERC 3 categories including a victory at the Barum Czech Rally Zlín to secure his first FIA title - the FIA European Rally Championship two wheel drive category (ERC3).

For the 2017 season Opel Motorsport fielded a three-car junior team with Tamara Molinaro and Jari Huttunen joining Ingram. Ingram won the first two rounds in the Azores and Gran Canaria, and the final round in Rally Liepaja to win the 2017 FIA European Rally Championship Junior Under 27 and ERC3 titles.

FIA European Rally Championship

In 2018 Ingram joined German-based team Toksport WRT with co-driver Ross Whittock who with him secured the junior title. They competed in their debut season of four-wheel-drive competition in a Skoda Fabia R5. On the first round in the Azores, they finished 4th overall and 1st ERC Junior Under 28. In September, Ingram third in WRC2 on his WRC2 debut at Rally Turkey and finished 9th overall, one place ahead of Sebastien Ogier.

Toksport retained Ingram and Whittock for the 2019 season where they went on to win the FIA European Rally Championship, becoming the first British crew to do so in 52 years.[6]

Results

WRC results

Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 WDC Points
2013 Chris Ingram Renault Twingo RS R2 MON SWE MEX POR ARG GRE ITA FIN GER AUS FRA ESP GBR
33
NC 0
2014 Chris Ingram Peugeot 208 R2 MON SWE MEX POR ARG ITA POL FIN GER AUS FRA ESP GBR
39
NC 0
2015 Chris Ingram Citroën DS3 R3T Max MON SWE MEX ARG POR ITA POL FIN GER AUS FRA ESP GBR
Ret
NC 0
2016 Opel Rallye Junior Team Opel Adam R2 MON SWE MEX ARG POR ITA POL FIN GER
Ret
CHN
C
FRA ESP NC 0
Chris Ingram Vauxhall Adam R2 GBR
48
AUS
2017 Chris Ingram Opel Adam R2 MON SWE MEX FRA ARG POR ITA POL FIN GER ESP GBR
36
AUS NC 0
2018 Toksport WRT Škoda Fabia R5 MON SWE MEX FRA ARG POR ITA FIN GER TUR
9
GBR
34
ESP AUS 25th 2
2021 Chris Ingram Škoda Fabia R5 Evo MON ARC CRO
16
POR
15
ITA
Ret
KEN EST BEL GRE
12
FIN ESP
18
MNZ
24
NC 0
2022 Chris Ingram Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo MON
14
SWE CRO
11
POR
12
ITA
11
KEN EST FIN BEL
9
GRE
Ret
NZL ESP JPN 29th 2

* Season still in progress.

WRC-2 results

In the 2022 Acropolis Rally in Greece Ingram finished the first short stage tenth and then dropped down the order in subsequent stages which included running of the road in one. In the eighth stage when in twenty fifth position he lost control, rolled the car and abandoned.[7]

Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 WDC Points
2018 Toksport WRT Škoda Fabia R5 MON SWE MEX FRA ARG POR ITA FIN GER TUR
3
GBR
12
ESP AUS 24th 15
2022 Chris Ingram Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo MON
7
SWE CRO
5
POR
3
ITA
4
KEN EST FIN BEL
4
GRE
Ret
NZL ESP JPN 7th 56

WRC-3 results

Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 WDC Points
2015 Chris Ingram Citroën DS3 R3T MON SWE MEX ARG POR ITA POL FIN GER AUS FRA ESP GBR
Ret
NC 0
2021 Chris Ingram Škoda Fabia R5 Evo MON ARC CRO
5
POR
3
ITA
Ret
KEN EST BEL GRE
2
FIN ESP
4
MNZ
8
4th 70

* Season still in progress.

JWRC results

Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 WDC Points
2015 Chris Ingram Citroën DS3 R3T Max MON SWE MEX ARG POR ITA POL FIN GER AUS FRA ESP GBR
Ret
NC 0

ERC results

Year Entrant Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 ERC Points
2013 Chris Ingram Renault Twingo RS R2 JÄN LIE CAN AZO COR YPR
30
ROM CZE POL CRO SAN VAL NC 0
2014 Chris Ingram Renault Twingo RS R2 Evo JÄN LIE
30
GRE IRE
Ret
AZO
14
YPR
20
EST NC 0
Peugeot 208 R2 CZE
35
CYP ROM VAL
Ret
COR
2015 Chris Ingram Peugeot 208 R2 JÄN LIE
14
IRE
15
AZO
15
YPR
Ret
EST
Ret
CZE
Ret
CYP GRE VAL NC 0
2016 Opel Rallye Junior Team Opel Adam R2 CAN IRE
18
GRE AZO
17
YPR
14
EST
10
POL ZLI
18
LIE
Ret
CYP 73rd 1
2017 Opel Rallye Junior Team Opel Adam R2 ACO
11
ESP
21
GRC CYP POL
26
CZE
38
ROM
14
LAT
10
54th 1
2018 Toksport World Rally Team Škoda Fabia R5 ACO
4
ESP
Ret
GRC CYP ROM
6
CZE
7
POL
3
LAT
2
5th 90
2019 Toksport World Rally Team Škoda Fabia R5 AZO
3
CAN
2
LIE
4
POL
Ret
RMC
6
CZE
3
CYP
2
1st 141
Škoda Fabia R5 Evo HUN
4
2020 Toksport World Rally Team Renault Clio RSR Rally5 ITA LAT PRT HUN ESP
28
NC 0

References

  1. "Peugeot Backs British Rally Star's Dream". peugeot.co.uk. 22 August 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  2. "Peugeot's Young Lion Roars in Wales". peugeot.co.uk. 17 November 2014. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  3. "Chris Ingram scores magnificent maiden FIA European Rally Championship victory on Rally Azores in 208 R2". peugeot.co.uk. 8 June 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  4. "Crushing Junior WRC win for Veiby".
  5. "Meeke, Lefebvre and Breen join DS 3 squad". WRC.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 18 December 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  6. "How Chris Ingram ended Britain's 52 year wait for European Rally title". theguardian.com. 27 November 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  7. "Chris Ingram - Craig Drew - EKO Acropolis Rally Greece 2022".
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