It Was Fantastic, Nail-biting Entertainment for Our Followers, but the Consequences of Error Were Severe

In the Second Part of Our Big Interview With England’s Number One Rally Driver, Chris Ingram, We Look Back at His Amazing First Year as an Adam R2 Pilot for Opel Motorsport…
 

- Dan Furr

Hello again, Chris. How’s it going?

Pretty good. Nice to be back chatting with Performance Vauxhall.

How did your job as an Opel Motorsport works driver come about?

I received an email inviting me to a meeting with the team principal. The request came as a surprise, not least of all because Opel had a firm two car setup with drivers who had established themselves as key contributors to the championship-winning Adam R2 project. My achievements as a Peugeot Sport works driver, however, had impressed factory bosses in Germany to such an extent that they decided to build a third Adam R2 with which to contest the Junior European Rally Championship. They wanted me to drive the extra car.

How difficult was it to get to grips with the Adam R2 after being so successful in a Pug 208 R2?

My first test in the Adam was at the beginning of 2016 on closed roads and rally courses in Austria. My time with the car confirmed what I already knew – that the Adam is the best R2 car on tarmac. I couldn’t get close to it when I was driving for Peugeot, but it’s not just the Opel’s 187bhp that makes it so good – the Adam R2 sits on suspension made by Reiger Racing, a brand respected for the capabilities of its parts on World Rally Championship machines.

Where and when was your first competitive outing with the Adam?

Circuit of Ireland, April 2016. I struggled to begin with. It took a fair few kilometres until I was comfortable in the car, but I was flying by the end of day two. I finished second. It was a strong debut performance for me as an Opel Motorsport driver.

Fast progress!