Chris Ingram

Chris Ingram (born 7 July 1994 in Manchester) is a British rally driver who became the first Briton in over 50 years to win the FIA European Rally Championship (ERC) in 2019. In 2024, he secured the British Rally Championship (BRC) title, making him the first driver to clinch both the ERC and BRC titles. Ingram has also competed in the World Rally Championship (WRC), in the WRC2 category.

Career Early career Ingram began rallying at the age of 15 in the F1000 British Junior Rally Championship. He finished second in his debut season in 2010, before winning six out of seven rounds to clinch the title in 2011. At 17, after earning his road driving licence, he transitioned to forest rallies and won the RF 1400 class on his first attempt, driving a 1000cc Citroën C1.

In 2012, Ingram made his British Rally Championship debut in a Renault Sport Twingo R2, winning the Twingo R2 Trophy and driving the official Renault Sport Clio R3 on the Rallye du Var in France. His performances earned him the MSA Young Driver of the Year award — the first rally driver to win the title.

In 2013, Ingram made his debut in the European Rally Championship (ERC) at the Ypres Rally and later entered the World Rally Championship (WRC) for the first time, winning the RC4 category.

ERC Junior Years (2014–2017) Ingram entered the inaugural ERC Junior Championship in 2014, earning the Colin McRae Flat Out Award after crashing out from the lead at the Circuit of Ireland. Later that season, he was signed by Peugeot UK, becoming the youngest manufacturer-backed British driver since Richard Burns. Alongside co-driver Gabin Moreau, he won the RC4 class at Wales Rally GB by over two minutes.

The pair returned in 2015 for a full ERC Junior campaign. Ingram claimed his first ERC Junior win at Rallye Açores and took his second Colin McRae Flat Out Award.

In 2016, Ingram joined Opel Motorsport, competing in the ERC Junior and ERC3 classes. He earned five consecutive podiums and won the ERC3 title after a standout victory at Barum Czech Rally Zlín.

In 2017, with Opel fielding a three-car team, Ingram dominated the season with wins in the Azores, Gran Canaria, and Rally Liepāja. He won the ERC Junior Under 27 and ERC3 titles.thumb

European Rally Championship (2018–2019) In 2018, Ingram stepped up to four-wheel-drive competition with Toksport WRT, driving a Škoda Fabia R5. He finished 4th overall and 1st in ERC Junior U28 in his first event in the Azores. He also made his WRC2 debut at Rally Turkey, finishing third in class and ninth overall, ahead of Sébastien Ogier.

In 2019, Ingram and co-driver Ross Whittock completed a full ERC campaign with Toksport, claiming consistent podiums and dramatic finishes. After a tense finale, they won the FIA European Rally Championship, the first British crew to do so since Vic Elford in 1967.

Impact of COVID-19 Following his 2019 European title, Ingram's momentum was severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted the global rally calendar and limited opportunities for competition and sponsorship. Despite his championship success, securing a full WRC program proved extremely challenging due to the economic aftermath of the pandemic. Ingram returned to the WRC2 category in 2022, contesting a part-season program.

World Rally Championship Ingram has competed part-time in WRC2 since 2018. In 2022, he achieved two WRC2 Junior victories and 24 stage wins.

In 2024, at Rally Japan, Ingram set the fastest overall time in Shakedown. He retired with a technical issue later.

British Rally Champion (2024) In 2024, Ingram won the British Rally Championship, securing victory in four of seven rounds:

Round 1 - Legend Fires North West Stages (Lancashire, England) Round 4 - Grampian Forest Rally (Aberdeen, Scotland) Round 5 - Day 1 of ERC Rali Ceredigion (BRC) Round 7 - Cambrian Rally

He competed in both a Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 and Toyota GR Yaris Rally2.

Results WRC-2 results 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 TUR3 GBR12 ESP AUS 24th 15 2022 Chris Ingram Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo MON SWE CRO POR ITA KEN EST FIN BEL GRE NZL ESP JPN 7th 56

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 YPR30 ROM CZE POL CRO SAN VAL NC 0 2014 Chris Ingram Renault Twingo RS R2 Evo JÄN LIE30 GRE IRERet AZO14 YPR20 EST NC 0 Peugeot 208 R2 CZE35 CYP ROM VALRet COR 2015 Chris Ingram Peugeot 208 R2 JÄN LIE14 IRE15 AZO15 YPRRet ESTRet CZERet CYP GRE VAL NC 0 2016 Opel Rallye Junior Team Opel Adam R2 CAN IRE18 GRE AZO17 YPR14 EST10 POL ZLI18 LIERet CYP 73rd 1 2017 Opel Rallye Junior Team Opel Adam R2 ACO11 ESP21 GRC CYP POL26 CZE38 ROM14 LAT10 54th 1 2018 Toksport World Rally Team Škoda Fabia R5 ACO4 ESPRet GRC CYP ROM6 CZE7 POL3 LAT2 5th 90 2019 Toksport World Rally Team Škoda Fabia R5 AZO3 CAN2 LIE4 POLRet RMC6 CZE3 CYP2 1st 141 Škoda Fabia R5 Evo HUN4