INGRAM PROVES FORMIDABLE FORCE AHEAD OF WRC2 DEBUT SEASON
- Former European Champion finishes World Rally Championship debut year with 4th place in WRC3 from 5 scores.
- Ingram challenges for WRC2 stage wins on tarmac and gravel.
- Gap on the leading Rally2 cars closed by three minutes over six races.
- Ingram and Whittock completed every km of every rally, apart from just 7km on final stage in Sardinia due to technical issue.
- Ingram looks ahead to his greatest challenge yet, competing in WRC2 in 2022 starting with the iconic Rallye Monte Carlo.
British rally driver Chris Ingram celebrates the end of his debut season in the World Rally Championship with a fourth place finish in WRC3. In just six rallies, including two podium finishes, Chris and his co-driver Ross Whittock racked up over 1800 rally kilometres and 500 kilometres of testing, proving they are a formidable force in WRC.
Chris Ingram said: “We’ve had a strong comeback after an 16 month lay-off. We’ve managed to achieve our targets of learning every rally whilst showing stage winning pace. It’s my fourth season in-a-row without putting a scratch on the car. Starting again the season I felt like an amateur, now I’m ready for WRC2.”
Chris and his co-driver Ross Whittock competed in six WRC3 races in Croatia, Portugal, Sardinia, Greece, Spain and Monza. The pair finished every kilometre of all their rallies, apart from just seven kilometres in the last stage of Sardinia when they suffered a technical issue.
Two podium place victories were achieved with 2nd place in Greece and 3rd place in Portugal whilst proving their ability to set fastest times in various conditions, on different surfaces and also challenge for the lead against highly experienced competition.
In last month’s final race of the season in Monza, Ingram and Whittock upped their tarmac pace and looked set to achieve a podium in the championship. They narrowly missed out due to a tyre infringement, which was outside of their control. The end result for their debut season was an impressive fourth place.
The former European Rally Champions are already planning and preparing for their 2022 season in WRC2 starting with the iconic Rallye Monte Carlo (January 20-23). They also plan to compete in Croatia, Portugal, Sardinia, Ireland (if confirmed), Greece and Spain to make up their seven scoring rounds for the championship.
Adam Shore, Director of Rally Warrior said: “It’s been an inspiring year for Chris, Ross and the Rally Warrior team. We’re in an excellent position for next season, with a leading team. Now Chris and Ross have momentum and are familiar with the stages, they will represent a considerable threat.”
Serkan Duru, Team Principle of Toksport WRT, said: “It’s great to have Chris and Ross back in the team. I am impressed with their progress especially considering their limited experience at WRC level. Chris always delivers the car to the finish in perfect condition, which says a lot. I am looking forward to next season starting from Monte Carlo.”
Next year, Chris and Ross will continue their title quest, moving up to WRC2 with Toksport Skoda and the Rally Warrior team backed by their partners CarFinance 24, Kroon-Oil, WS Transportation, CPASE Health Club, FreeM Racewear, and Stilo Helmets.
Louis Rix, co-CEO of CarFinance 247, said: “While we always knew Chris had a fantastic work ethic and incredible natural talent, we’ve been blown away by his success in his first season in the WRC3. He’s demonstrated his resilience by bouncing back when races haven’t gone his way and proved that he more than deserved his spot on the world stage by ending the year with a podium place. We’re excited to see him continue to make waves when he moves up to the WRC2 next season.”
James Harrison, CEO of Protec said, “We are really proud to be associated with Chris and Ross who have shown that they can match the pace of the top drivers in their class in only their first year in WRC. 2022 is a new format for the sport with the guys moving into WRC2 and with the experience they have now gained we expect them to continue on their journey towards to the top of the sport.”
ENDS
More information:
Sarah Shore, +44 7748845692, sarah@rallywarrior.com, https://rallywarrior.com
Social Media:
@ChrisIngramRally, @RallyWarrior
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