Russell Peter Ingall (born 24 February 1964 in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England) is a former full-time Australian V8 Supercar driver. He won his V8 Supercars title in

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

, and finished second in

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

and

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

. Ingall has also won the

Bathurst 1000 The Bathurst 1000 (known for sponsorship reasons as the Repco Bathurst 1000) is a Touring car racing, touring car race held annually on the Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. It is currently run as part of the Supe ...

, in

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

and

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

. His particular driving style earned him the nickname "Enforcer".

Early years

Ingall was born in England and moved to

Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide city centre, Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is t ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

with his father at the age of three. His father was a motor mechanic and operated a service station, his mother died from

breast cancer Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...

at a young age. Ingall began his motor racing career at age 12 competing at the

Whyalla Whyalla is a city in South Australia. It was founded as Hummock's Hill, and was known by that name until 1916. It is the fourth most populous city in the Australian state of South Australia after Adelaide, Mount Gambier, and Gawler, and along ...

go-kart track in South Australia. After winning an Australian Junior and several Senior karting Championships he moved overseas to race

karts Kart racing or karting is a motorsport discipline using open-wheel, four-wheeled vehicles known as go-karts or shifter karts. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits, although some professional kart races are also held on full-size moto ...

in Europe before making the transition into

Formula Ford Formula Ford, also known as F1600 and Formula F, is an entry-level class of single-seater, open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held across the world have historically been an important step for many prospective Formula One dri ...

. During his karting career he lost his right-index finger at the first joint in an accident, however this didn't affect his racing. Competing in only his second

event, Ingall finished third in a support race at the 1988 Australian Grand Prix in

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

. Over the next few years Ingall proved to be a force in the Motorcraft Formula Ford Driver to Europe Series finishing runner-up before claiming the crown in the 1990. In 1990, he co-drove a Bob Forbes Racing Holden Commodore VL at the

with Kevin Bartlett Ingall headed to Europe in 1991. After almost claiming the

British Formula Ford Championship The British Formula Ford Championship was an entry-level single seater Auto racing, motor racing category, designed to give racing drivers their first step into car racing after karting. Drivers from around the world were attracted to the United ...

in 1991, and making a promising debut in the GM-Lotus formula, Ingall moved to Germany to drive for Team Schübel in the

German Formula Three Championship The German Formula Three Championship was the national Formula Three championship of Germany, and the former West Germany, from 1950 to 2002, then as Formel 3 until 2014. In 2003, the series had merged with the French Formula Three Championship ...

. Ingall also had the opportunity to compete in Peter Wearing Smith's team at the

Macau Grand Prix The Macau Grand Prix (; ) is an annual motorsport road racing event for automobiles and motorcycles held on the Guia Circuit in Macau. The event includes the Formula Regional and Motorcycle Grand Prix title races, with other races for Touri ...

, where he started 23rd and overtook

David Coulthard David Marshall Coulthard (born 27 March 1971) is a British former racing driver and sports broadcasting, broadcaster from Scotland who competed in Formula One from to . Nicknamed "DC", Coulthard was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' ...

to finish in fifth position. Over the northern winter Ingall competed in the New Zealand Formula Ford series, winning easily with 10 victories from 12 races. Ingall made history in 1993 returning to the United Kingdom to drive for the factory Van Diemen team to win 13 out of the 16 races in the

and in the process recording the highest number of wins in a single season in the history of

. 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 Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit in West Kingsdown, Kent, England, United Kingdom. Originally used as a grasstrack motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently hosts ...

in England. Ingall was never able to live up to his full potential in Europe due to a lack of funding and later returned to Australia. This was common for Australian race drivers in Europe.

V8 Supercar

Part-time drives

After spending the first half of 1994 in the

Japanese Formula 3 Championship was a national motor racing championship that takes place in Japan. It is a junior-level feeder formula that uses small single seater Formula Three chassis. As a result of Formula 3 naming regulations by the FIA, on 13 August 2019, series pr ...

Ingall made his return to Touring Cars, having previously driven for the Bob Forbes Racing team in 1990, driving for Wayne Gardner Racing at the

Sandown 500 The Sandown 500 (commercially titled Penrite, Penrite Oil Sandown 500) is an annual endurance racing (motorsport), endurance Auto racing, motor race which is staged at the Sandown Raceway, near Melbourne, Victoria, Australia from 1964. The even ...

and

. Ingall and Win Percy led at Bathurst for some time before finishing fifth.

Perkins Engineering

Ingall went on to win the 1995 British

Formula Renault Formula Renault are classes of formula racing popular in Europe and elsewhere. Regarded as an entry-level series to auto racing, motor racing, it was founded in 1971, and was a respected series where drivers can learn advanced racecraft before mov ...

Championship before joining Perkins Engineering for its campaign for the endurance races back in Australia. Ingall figured prominently in the team's epic last to first victory at Bathurst. He would then become a permanent face of the V8 Supercar Championship throughout 1996 season. During his first year, Ingall claimed his maiden victory at Calder Park and then went on to win the

for the second time in 1997. He also finished second in

and

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

. In his seven years with Perkins Engineering, Ingall finish runner-up in the championship three times (

and

) and was third in

Stone Brothers Racing

Following seven years with the Perkins team Ingall moved to

Stone Brothers Racing Stone Brothers Racing (SBR) was an Australian motor racing team that competed in the International V8 Supercars Championship between 1998 and 2012. The team was formed in 1998 when Ross and Jim Stone bought Alan Jones (racing driver), Alan J ...

at the start of 2003 in winning style taking out the support races at the

Australian Grand Prix The Australian Grand Prix is an annual Formula One motor racing event, taking place in Melbourne, Victoria. The event is contracted to be held at least until 2035. One of the oldest surviving motorsport competitions held in Australia, the Gran ...

. 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, Queensland The Gold Coast, also known by its initials, GC, is a coastal city and region in the state of Queensland, Australia, located approximately south-southeast of the centre of the list of Australian capital cities, state capital, Brisbane. It is ...

before eventually finishing seventh outright in the championship. In 2004 Ingall was again consistent with the highlight of the season coming with a round win at Symmons Plains in round 12. In the final round at Eastern Creek Raceway, he finished third overall to jump from fourth to second in the championship in his

Caltex Caltex is a petroleum brand name of Chevron Corporation used in the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East, and Southern Africa. Headquartered in Singapore, it is also the brand name of non-Chevron petroleum companies in some countries (such as ...

Ford Falcon BA and give Stone Brothers Racing an historic 1–2 finish as his teammate Marcos Ambrose won the championship. In 2005 Ingall went one better, collecting his first V8 Supercar championship after having been runner-up four times. Ingall went into the season with a plan and he followed it to the final race of the season, which was held at the

Phillip Island Phillip Island (Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung: ''Corriong'', ''Worne'' or ''Millowl'') is an Australian island about south-southeast of Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria. The island is named after Arthur Phillip, Governor Arthur P ...

circuit. He raced "smarter" than he ever had before and worked out his strategy around the

V8 Supercars The Supercars Championship, also known as the Repco Supercars Championship under sponsorship and historically as V8 Supercars, is a touring car racing category in Australia and New Zealand, running as an International Series under Fédération I ...

points system to collect the title ahead of Craig Lowndes and Marcos Ambrose. In 2006 Ingall saw the championship slip from his grasp due to poor performance from his car which saw him finish the championship in eighth place. In the lead-up to the 2007 season finale, Ingall announced he was Holden bound, thus leaving Stone Brothers Racing and Ford after five years. He finished the championship for the first time outside the top 10, placing a disappointing eleventh. For 2008 Ingall moved to Paul Morris Motorsport.

Supercheap Auto Racing

Ingall returned to the Holden fray in 2008 with Paul Morris Motorsport, now sponsored by automotive parts retailer

Supercheap Auto Supercheap Auto is an Australian automotive parts and accessories retailer. It was founded in 1972, operating as a mail-order business and opened its first store in Brisbane in 1974. It now has 341 stores across Australia and New Zealand. ...

. Ingall's debut race meeting for his new team proved less than ideal. Finishing in 14th place in the first leg of the Clipsal 500, contact with the wall at Turn 8 during the morning warmup saw steering and suspension damage to the No. 39 car. Repairs were made in time for the start of Race 2, but the car was not the same, and he retired after just two laps, with failure in the ignition system. “If I didn't stick it in (during) the warm up, the distributor drive would have probably gone in the warm-up so we would have found the problem before the race, so one thing led to another," said Ingall. "At the end of the day it was all related to the shunt.” In 2010, Ingall was joined by New Zealander Greg Murphy. Ingall remained with Paul Morris Motorsport until the end of 2011. In 2012, Ingall moved to Walkinshaw Racing, with the Supercheap Auto sponsorship. In 2013, Ingall continued the use of the No. 66 car, however, 2013 saw the change to the new Holden VF Commodore. Ingall's form for the year thus far has been inconsistent. At

Townsville The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...

, Ingall celebrated his 226th race start (a new record beating John Bowe's 225) by using No. 226 on his car. In the Endurance events, Ingall teamed up with IndyCar racer Ryan Briscoe.

Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport

After toying with the idea of retiring from full-time motorsports in 2014, Ingall announced returned to V8 Supercars in the 2014 season with Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport. At the end of 2014, Ingall retired from full-time driving. He will still compete as a co-driver in the three endurance races.

Return to V8 Supercars

In 2015, Ingall signed with the Holden Racing Team to race in the endurance series after

James Courtney James Anthony Courtney (born 29 June 1980) is an Australian racing driver competing in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship. He currently drives the No. 7 Ford Mustang (sixth generation), Ford Mustang GT for Blanchard Racin ...

was injured in a freak accident. Ingall competed in the

and the

with HRT. With Courtney returning to race in the

Gold Coast 600 The Gold Coast 500 (known for sponsorship reasons as the Boost Mobile (Australia), Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500) is an annual motor racing event for Supercars Championship, Supercars, held at the Surfers Paradise Street Circuit in Surfers Parad ...

, Prodrive Racing Australia signed Ingall as a replacement for

Chaz Mostert Chaz Michael Mostert (born 10 April 1992) is an Australian professional racing driver competing in the Supercars Championship, Repco Supercars Championship. He currently drives the No. 25 Ford Mustang GT for Walkinshaw Andretti United. Mostert ...

, who was unable to drive due to injuries from his Bathurst crash.

Nissan Motorsport

Ingall signed with Nissan Motorsport to race in the Pirtek Enduro Cup in 2016 and joined

Rick Kelly Rick Kelly (born 17 January 1983) is an Australian professional racing driver who previously competed in the Supercars Championship. He last drove the No. 15 Ford Mustang (sixth generation), Ford Mustang GT for Kelly Racing. Previously, he dro ...

in the No. 15 Nissan Altima.

Triple Eight Race Engineering

Ingall made a return to the championship in a Triple Eight Race Engineering wildcard in the 2021 Bathurst 1000 alongside Broc Feeney in a

backed #39 Holden Commodore ZB.

Other racing

In October 2018, Ingall made his

Stadium Super Trucks The Stadium Super Trucks (SST), formerly known as Speed Energy Formula Off-Road, also known as the Boost Mobile Super Trucks in Australia, is an American short course off-road racing series created by off-road racer and former IndyCar and NASCAR d ...

debut at Sydney Motorsport Park. He finished seventh and fifth in the weekend's two races. The following year, he returned to the series for the Gold Coast 600 round. In April 2021, Ingall took over for the injured Nash Morris for the series' final two races at Symmons Plains.

Media career

In 2015, Ingall was appointed a co-host on

Fox Sports Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world. The name originates from Fox Broadcasting Company in the United States, which in turn derives its name from Fox Fi ...

coverage of

with five-time champion and former rival Mark Skaife. Ingall hosts an online video series titled ''Enforcer and The Dude'' alongside Paul Morris.

Career results

Karting career summary

Circuit racing career

Holden VE Commodore of Russell Ingall 2012

Holden VF Commodore of Russell Ingall 2013

Complete German Formula Three results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Complete Macau Grand Prix results

Complete Australian Touring Car Championship / Supercars Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Complete Bathurst 1000 results

* Australian 1000 race

Complete Bathurst 12 Hour results

Stadium Super Trucks

( key) (Bold – Pole position. Italics – Fastest qualifier. * – Most laps led.)

Boost Mobile Super Trucks

( key) (Bold – Pole position. Italics – Fastest qualifier. * – Most laps led.) Season in progress.

TCR Australia results

References

External links

Ingall's Official Website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ingall, Russell Supercars Championship drivers British Formula Renault 2.0 drivers German Formula Three Championship drivers Japanese Formula 3 Championship drivers 1964 births Living people Bathurst 1000 winners Formula Ford drivers Australian Touring Car Championship drivers Stadium Super Trucks drivers Australian people of English descent Racing drivers from London Racing drivers from South Australia Australian Endurance Championship drivers Kelly Racing drivers Nismo drivers BMW M drivers Stone Brothers Racing drivers TCR Australia Touring Car Series drivers 20th-century English sportsmen