INGRAM SETS HIS SIGHTS HIGH FOR ACROPOLIS TOP-FLIGHT RETURN
European title winner hits the reset button for new WRC charge
Chris Ingram says his World
Rally Championship season “starts now” following his return to Toksport WRT from next month’s Acropolis Rally.
The Briton claimed his 2019 European title with the Turkish-owned team and has agreed a two-event WRC3 deal this year ahead of a sevenround WRC2 programme in 2022.
Ingram’s return to Toksport marks the end of a short-lived alliance with Belgian outfit SXM Competition, whom he joined for April’s Croatia Rally.
Although Ingram took a podium in Portugal with SXM, he retired with a technical failure in Sardinia and was unable to strike up the kind of relationship he enjoyed with Germanybased Toksport, which began in 2018.
“As soon as we went to the other team, [Toksport] wanted us back,” Ingram told Motorsport News. “Even though we’ve got experience from three rallies, I feel like the season starts from now. We’re going to do Acropolis and Spain and prepare really well for next year when we’ll do seven rounds starting with the Monte.”
Toksport is running Skoda Fabia Rally2s for Emilio Fernandez from Chile and Norway’s Andreas Mikkelsen in WRC2 this year and Ingram was keen on returning.
“I want to get everything back on track and get my confidence up and prepare the best we’ve ever prepared for every rally we do from now on to give ourselves a proper chance because Croatia and Sardinia was hard work.
“Toksport was like a dream team, we did so well together and maybe being apart had to happen to make us realise what we had been missing. Toksport is like a family and it was sad to ever have to leave. It should not have been the case because we belong together. They’re a private team but they’re really a factory team. As the first non-Turkish or non-Middle Eastern Toksport driver I’ve always had a great relationship with Serkan [Duru, Toksport owner] and the mechanics and that counts for a lot.”
Of his departure from SXM, whom he joined on a cut-price deal, Ingram said: “An opportunity came up with Toksport until the end of next year, and it felt like the best thing for me. It was mutually agreed but I want to thank SXM for the rallies we did and getting on the podium in Portugal. I wish them all the best.”
After contesting the WRC rounds in Greece and Spain this year, Ingram has a seven-event deal with Toksport for 2022, which will include the season-opening Monte Carlo Rally, which will be new for Ingram and co-driver Ross Whittock.
With Toksport skipping last week’s Ypres Rally, Ingram was encouraged to join another team for the Belgian round on a one-off basis but told Motorsport News he dismissed the suggestion in line with his long-term World championship plan, moving from a WRC3 campaign this year towards a WRC2 attack in 2022..
“We decided we’d put more prep into next year, into the next couple of rallies to make sure we do everything proper from now on and give ourselves the best possible chance. It would have been really nice to do Ypres, but we don’t even know if it’s going to be in the championship next year, it was a better long-term plan to skip it.”