Chris Ingram to compete in classic RAC Rally in Triumph TR7 V8

Former European Rally champion Chris Ingram is the latest star driver to join the entry list for the Roger Albert Clark Rally after confirming that he will tackle the rally in a Triumph TR7 V8 from David Appleby Engineering.

Ingram will drive the first of the replica works cars being built by Appleby’s team on the November 23-27 rally and hopes to take the fight to the Ford Escort Mk2s including those of Kris Meeke and Oliver Solberg.

The first of the batch of TR7 V8s is due for a shakedown test very shortly and will then test with Ingram, one of the UK’s leading drivers at international level.

Ingram said: “It will be an amazing once-in-a-lifetime experience. Everyone’s raving about how the rally is just like the old days and it will be five full days on legendary stages in a legendary car. It will be so much fun and a hell of a challenge. I’ve never done a rally in a historic car so it will be brilliant.”

Long time marque expert Appleby is painstakingly producing the cars to exacting period specification using an ex-Tony Pond car as a benchmark, with most parts being re-manufactured.

Appleby said: “It’s something I’ve had a passion to do for a long time: a proper recreation of factory TR7 V8s. We’ve had one of the last works cars on loan to use as a datum and we’ve been able to take bits off, get them measured and scanned and remade. Everything is to original specification. We could have done a modern interpretation of the car, but what would be the point in that?”

Appleby explained his choice of driver: “We know we’ve got the talent in this country to compete at world level but for some reason we don’t give the backing to these young drivers. I’ve been watching Chris and what he’s done and I think it’s fantastic. He reminds me of Tony Pond in a lot of ways. He is more than capable of doing very well.”

rallyfish.co.uk