World Rally Championship support series regular Chris Ingram has split with long-time co-driver Ross Whittock, abruptly ending a near five-year partnership.
Ingram, who drives for the Rally Warrior team in WRC2 in a Toksport-prepared Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo, first paired up with Whittock in the European Rally Championship’s ERC3 Junior category near the end of the 2017 season. They went on to win the overall 2019 ERC title together in a Toksport-run Fabia.
Elliott Edmondson, now Oliver Solberg’s navigator, had previously sat alongside Ingram until the mid-season shuffle that brought Whittock into Ingram’s cabin.
“I chose Ross to be my co-driver towards the end of the 2017 season, where he helped me clinch the ERC Junior Championship title with Opel,” read a statement from Ingram.
“Since then we achieved so much together in the ERC and WRC with Toksport, but the time has come to part ways as a crew. I would like to wish Ross the best of luck in the future, and thank him and his family for their support.”
Whittock likewise acknowledged the split, indicating he would be looking for a new driver to pair up with in future.
“The split has marked the end to a successful chapter of my career, with the decision coming to help benefit both of our careers in the sport,” read Whittock’s statement.
“I would like to thank Chris for the partnership and the success we had together and I wish him all the best in the future. There will be new opportunities for me and I’m excited to start a new chapter in my career”
No replacement co-driver has been announced by Ingram, nor has a deadline been set for appointing a new one. He is not on the entry list for this month’s Rally Sweden but has entered the North West Stages back in his native UK on March 18-19.
