There’s been a noticeable theme to this year’s WRC2 season.
Monte Carlo – OK he didn’t win thanks to a corner-cut that cost him the result, but Nikolay Gryazin was fastest.
In Sweden, Oliver Solberg took that mantle. And he passed the baton onto Gus Greensmith in México.
Three different drivers, three very different rallies. One common denominator.
They were all driving a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2.
Now, Chris Ingram wants in on the act.
The Toksport driver began his WRC2 season on the Monte Carlo Rally and had planned to make the trip to Zagreb next week for Croatia Rally.
But having driven the older Fabia Rally2 evo to sixth on round one, and therefore seeing the difference between the two Škodas, Ingram’s plan has changed.
Croatia has been sacrificed to buy the 2019 European champion more time to source a Fabia RS Rally2.
“It’s plain and simple, [I need] to get in the new car because it’s been so dominant,” Ingram told DirtFish.
“I felt in Monte I drove well and my times reflected that. My times compared to last year’s times on the comparable stages with the same, dry conditions, I would have been fastest on pretty much all of them.
“But the new cars have just gone to another level, so my result just wasn’t the result I wanted or that gave my driving justice.
“I couldn’t afford for that to happen again in Croatia so I need to get in the new car.
“It’s a bit of a shame because last year I went well in Croatia,” Ingram added. “I was second early on, but then got a few punctures. On the last day I set that third overall time among the Rally1 cars [on the penultimate stage].
“I just cannot afford to go and do rallies now and not be at least competing for a podium.”
Ingram was sure driving the Fabia Rally2 evo wouldn’t hold him back on the Monte – insisting to DirtFish that his plan was to win.
Looking back, he thinks he was biting off more than he could chew with that ambition.
“I think I was very optimistic, but realistically the new car was so good – Citroën upped their game – and I wasn’t ready for it,” Ingram said, candidly.
“It was my first rally since my plane crash in Greece, so even though some of my times were good I was probably over ambitious – but you’ve got to believe in yourself!
“I know that with a bit of seat time and in equal machinery to the others, I’ll be right up there again.”
