Chris Ingram announced yesterday that he will not compete in the remaining WRC2 rounds of this season considering his budget and his current plan is to take part in ERC.
The British driver participated with the Skoda Fabia evo Rally2 at Rallye Monte Carlo four months ago where he finished fourth and sixth overall in WRC2 and WRC2 Challenger class respectively. His next outings would be in Portugal and Sardinia, but he decided to postpone his programme for 2023 due to the fact that he was driving the previous generation of Fabia RS Rally2 and was not able to match the times of his Toksport teammates. In addition to these, he could not afford the costs for renting the brand-new Skoda as his WRC2 campaign was based on an online funding. Last but not least, it must be mentioned that his participation in Monte Carlo was in doubt due to the budget while Toksport is already running with seven drivers in WRC2 category this year.
"I wanted to share my plans for the rest of the season and clarify why I haven't been out competing recently", Ingram wrote on his social media.
"I received incredible support ahead of Rallye Monte Carlo from my supporters via my crowdfunding army and again finished the 1st full privateer driver in the rally.
"However in Monte Carlo, It became evident that the older Skoda WRC2 car was no match for the latest version.
"Unfortunately, I couldn't secure a deal with Toksport to compete in Portugal and Sardinia using the new car.
"They already have seven cars running, and the cost per event was simply not feasible for my current limited budget.
"I have taken a step back to focus on making solid foundations for my career by working on fundraising, promoting my driver training and launching the Rally Warrior Experience in the UK, France, and Belgium.
"The plan for the rest of the season is to build back up to WRC.
"I have decided to enter the Ypres Rally with Wevers Sport in the highly succesful VW Polo GTI R5.
"The event will be intergrated with a Rally Warrior Experience day beforehand where you can have the chance to ride with me flat out on some iconic rally stages.
"I will also offer one lucky supporter of my crowdfunding army a ride in the car, as I did at my Rally Experience in Wales back in April.
"If everything goes well, my plan is to then participate in the European Rally Championship in either Rally di Roma or the Czech Barum Rally before returning to the WRC towards the end of the season for the brand new Rally Central Europe.
"I feel these events will provide me with a platform to prepare for a full attack and full season in the World Rally Championship in 2024 with manufacturer support.
"Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting a legendary British racing driver, who has been incredibly generous and has facilitated some key introductions, including some at the F1 Monaco GP this weekend!
"I hope to have some more positive news in the near future.
"Thank you for your amazing support and I hope to see many of you in Belgium!".
Photo Credits: Toksport
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