INGRAM READY FOR CYPRUS ATTACK
Manchester’s Chris Ingram has described defending his one-point European Rally Championship lead at this week’s Cyprus Rally as a
“huge challenge”.
Ingram, who drives his usual Toksport-run Skoda Fabia
R5, has never competed on the Mediterranean island, while Ingram’s nearest rival, defending ERC champion Alexey Lukyanuk, won
Cyprus three years ago.
“The target for Cyprus is to keep the championship lead,” he said. “[And] to do my best job for the team and everyone who has supported me. In Barum [Rally last time out] I regained a lot of self belief and I want to keep the positive momentum.
“Cyprus will be a huge challenge for me. Last year on Rally Turkey I had a podium in WRC2 on my debut, so we can take confidence as it is similar in terms of the hot temperatures, rough gravel surface and technical roads.”
Ingram missed out on winning the ERC1 Junior title at the Barum Rally last month. His rival Filip Mares beat him by
0.3 seconds to scoop €100,000 (£88,000) of funding for the final two rounds of this year’s ERC.
Ingram’s campaign to become the first British European Rally Champion since Vic Elford in 1967 has remained on track thanks to a crowd-funding effort which has raised close to £11,000. Some of that money came from the Czech rally fans who had been supporting Ingram’s rival Mares.
Ingram said: “The support has been overwhelming and humbling and I am so grateful to everyone who has supported us to get to Cyprus. To have so much support from the Czech fans after our great battle with Filip Mares on the Barum
Rally just shows there are some fantastic people in this sport and the rally community is the best.”
Ingram starts the Nicosiabased event at car one on
Friday and will be followed in by former factory Ford driver Mikko Hirvonen (Ford Fiesta R5) and Middle East Rally Champion Nasser Al-attiyah (Volkswagen Polo GTI R5). The event finishes after 12 stages and 120 competitve miles on Sunday.