Russell Ingall

24/2/1964

Record updated 24-Feb-07

Russell Ingall is an Australian V8 Supercar driver. Ingall won the V8 Supercar Championship in 2005 after finishing runner up in 1998, 1999 and 2001. Ingall also won the Bathurst 1000 in 1995 and 1997.

One of Australia's true motorsport heroes, Ingall has a reputation of being a fierce competitor on track and one of the most fan and sponsor-friendly drivers away from it.

Russell Ingall began his motor racing career at age 12 competing at the Whyalla go-kart track in South Australia. Ingall is missing the index finger on his right hand as a result of a karting accident. After winning an Australian Junior and several Senior karting Championships he raced headed overseas to race karts in Europe before making the transition into Formula Ford.

Competing in only his second Formula Ford event, Ingall finished third in a support race at the 1988 Adelaide Formula One Grand Prix. Over the next few years Ingall proved to be a force in the Australian Formula Ford Championship finishing runner-up before claiming the crown in the 1990.

After almost claiming the British Formula Ford Championship in 1991, Ingall headed to Europe in 1992 to drive for Opel Team Schiubel in the prestigious German Formula 3 Championship. Russell also had the opportunity to compete at the Asian Macau Grand Prix and rocked the establishment by starting 23rd and being in a position by mid-way through the race to overtake David Coulthard for fifth position.

Over the northern winter Ingall competed in the New Zealand Dunlop Formula Ford series, winning easily with 10 victories from 12 races.

Ingall made history in 1993 returning to Britain to drive for the factory Van Diemen team to win 13 out of the 16 races in the British Championship and in the process recording the highest number of wins in a single season in the history of Formula Ford. The season was finished off by winning one of the most prestigious single-seater events - the Formula Ford Festival and World Cup at Brands Hatch in Britain.

After spending the first half of 1994 in the Japanese Formula 3 Championship Ingall made his debut in the Australian Touring Car Championship driving for Wayne Gardner's team at Sandown and Bathurst. Ingall and Win Percy led at Bathurst for some time before finishing fifth.

Ingall went on to win the 1995 British Formula Renault Championship before joining Larry Perkins for his team's campaign for the endurance races back in Australia. Ingall figured prominently in the teams epic last to first victory at Bathurst. He would then become a permanent face of the V8 Supercar Championship throughout 1996.

During his first year, Ingall claimed his maiden victory at Calder Park and then went on to win the Bathurst 1000 for the second time in 1997. In his seven years with Perkins, Ingall finish runner-up in the championship three times (1998, 1999 and 2001) and was third in 1997.

Following seven years with the Perkins team Ingall moved to the Stone Brothers Racing outfit at the start of 2003 in winning style taking out the support races at the Australian Grand Prix. He also went on to win rounds at the Queensland 300 and the Gillette V8 Supercar Challenge at the Lexmark Indy 300 on the Gold Coast before eventually finishing seventh outright in the championship.

In 2004 Ingall was again a model of consistency with the highlight of the season coming with a round win at Symmons Plains in round 12. The motivation from that victory continued through to the final round at Eastern Creek where he finished a fantastic third overall to jump from fourth to second in the championship in his Caltex Falcon and give Stone Brothers Racing an historic 1-2 finish.

In 2005 he went one better, collecting his first V8 Supercar title after being runner-up four times previously. Ingall went into the season with a totally different game plan and he followed it to the final race of the season, which was held at the spectacular Phillip Island circuit in Victoria. He raced smarter than he ever had before and worked out his strategy around the V8 Supercar's controversial points system to collect the title ahead of Craig Lowndes and Ambrose.

In 2006 Ingall saw the championship slip from his grasp due to poor perfomance from his car which saw him finish the championship in 8th place



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