Russell Ingall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Russell Ingall |
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Ingall in 2005
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| Nationality |  Australian |
| Born | 24 February 1964 London, England |
| Racing licence |  FIA Bronze |
| Supercars record | |
| Series championships | 1 (2005) |
| Races | 588 |
| Race wins | 27 |
| Podium finishes | 91 |
| Pole positions | 3 |
| 2016 position | 48th (252 pts) |
Russell Peter Ingall (born 24 February 1964) is a famous Australian race car driver who used to compete full-time in the V8 Supercars. He won the V8 Supercars title in 2005. He also finished second four times: in 1998, 1999, 2001, and 2004. Russell Ingall also won the tough Bathurst 1000 race twice, in 1995 and 1997. Because of his strong and determined driving style, people gave him the nickname "Enforcer".
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Russell Ingall's Early Racing Days
Russell Ingall was born in England. When he was three years old, he moved to Port Adelaide in South Australia with his father. His dad was a car mechanic and ran a service station.
Russell started his racing journey at just 12 years old. He competed in go-kart races at the Whyalla track in South Australia. He won many Australian Junior and Senior karting championships. After that, he went to Europe to race karts there. Later, he moved into a different type of racing called Formula Ford. During his karting years, he had an accident and lost the tip of his right index finger. But this didn't stop him from racing!
In only his second Formula Ford event, Russell finished third. This was at a support race during the 1988 Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide. Over the next few years, Russell became a top driver in the Motorcraft Formula Ford Driver to Europe Series. He finished second before winning the championship in 1990. In that same year, he also drove a Holden Commodore VL with Kevin Bartlett in the 1990 Bathurst 1000.
In 1991, Russell went to Europe. He almost won the British Formula Ford Championship. He also raced well in the GM-Lotus formula. Then, he moved to Germany to race for Team Schübel in the German Formula Three Championship. Russell also got to race in the famous Macau Grand Prix. He started 23rd and finished fifth, even passing David Coulthard.
During the winter, Russell raced in the New Zealand Formula Ford series. He won easily, taking 10 victories out of 12 races.
In 1993, Russell made history. He returned to the United Kingdom and raced for the factory Van Diemen team. He won 13 out of 16 races in the British Formula Ford Championship. This was the most wins in a single season in Formula Ford history! He finished the season by winning the Formula Ford Festival and World Cup at Brands Hatch in England.
Russell couldn't reach his full potential in Europe because he didn't have enough money to keep racing there. This was a common problem for Australian race drivers in Europe. He later returned to Australia.
Russell Ingall in V8 Supercars
Starting Out in V8 Supercars
After racing in Japan for a while in 1994, Russell Ingall came back to Australia. He joined Wayne Gardner Racing for the endurance races, like the 1994 Sandown 500 and 1994 Bathurst 1000. At Bathurst, Russell and his teammate Win Percy led the race for some time before finishing fifth.
Racing with Perkins Engineering
In 1995, Russell won the British Formula Renault Championship. Then, he joined Perkins Engineering for the endurance races back in Australia. He was a key part of the team's amazing win at Bathurst, where they came from last place to first! After that, he became a regular driver in the V8 Supercar Championship from 1996.
In his first year, Russell won his first V8 Supercar race at Calder Park. He then went on to win the Bathurst 1000 for the second time in 1997. He also finished second in the Bathurst 1000 in 1998 and 2002.
During his seven years with Perkins Engineering, Russell finished second in the championship three times. These were in 1998, 1999, and 2001. He also finished third in 1997.
Winning with Stone Brothers Racing
After seven years with the Perkins team, Russell moved to Stone Brothers Racing in 2003. He started strong, winning races at the Australian Grand Prix. He also won rounds at the Queensland 300 and the Gillette V8 Supercar Challenge on the Gold Coast, Queensland. He finished seventh overall in the championship that year.
In 2004, Russell was very consistent. The best part of his season was winning a round at Symmons Plains. In the final race at Eastern Creek Raceway, he finished third overall. This helped him jump from fourth to second place in the championship. His teammate Marcos Ambrose won the championship, giving Stone Brothers Racing an amazing first and second place finish.
In 2005, Russell Ingall did even better! He won his first ever V8 Supercar championship. He had finished second four times before, so this was a huge achievement. Russell had a clear plan for the season and stuck to it until the very last race at Phillip Island. He raced "smarter" than ever, using the V8 Supercars points system to his advantage. He won the title ahead of Craig Lowndes and Marcos Ambrose.
In 2006, Russell's car didn't perform as well, and he finished eighth in the championship. Before the 2007 season ended, Russell announced he would be moving to a Holden team. This meant leaving Stone Brothers Racing and Ford after five years. He finished eleventh in the championship, which was his first time outside the top 10. For 2008, Russell moved to Paul Morris Motorsport.
Racing with Supercheap Auto
In 2008, Russell Ingall returned to racing Holden cars with Paul Morris Motorsport. Their new sponsor was Supercheap Auto, a car parts store. Russell's first race with the new team didn't go well. He finished 14th in the first race. Then, during a warm-up, his car hit a wall, damaging the steering and suspension. Even though they fixed it for the second race, the car wasn't the same, and he had to stop after only two laps because of an engine problem.
Russell explained, "If I didn't hit the wall during the warm-up, the problem would have probably happened anyway. So one thing led to another. In the end, it was all because of the crash."
In 2010, Russell was joined by New Zealander Greg Murphy. Russell stayed with Paul Morris Motorsport until the end of 2011. In 2012, Russell moved to Walkinshaw Racing, still with Supercheap Auto as his sponsor.
In 2013, Russell kept his car number 66. This year also saw the introduction of the new Holden VF Commodore. Russell's performance was not always consistent. At Townsville, Russell celebrated his 226th race start. This was a new record, beating John Bowe's 225 starts. For this special race, he even used the number 226 on his car! In the longer endurance races, Russell teamed up with IndyCar racer Ryan Briscoe.
Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport and Retirement
After thinking about retiring in 2014, Russell decided to race one more full season in V8 Supercars. He joined Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport. At the end of 2014, Russell officially retired from full-time racing. However, he still planned to compete as a co-driver in the three main endurance races.
Coming Back to V8 Supercars
In 2015, Russell Ingall signed with the Holden Racing Team. He raced in the endurance series because James Courtney was injured in an accident. Russell competed in the Sandown 500 and the Bathurst 1000 with HRT.
When James Courtney returned to race, Prodrive Racing Australia asked Russell to replace Chaz Mostert. Chaz couldn't drive because of injuries from his Bathurst crash.
Racing with Nissan Motorsport
In 2016, Russell joined Nissan Motorsport for the Pirtek Enduro Cup. He teamed up with Rick Kelly in the number 15 Nissan Altima.
Triple Eight Race Engineering
Russell made another return to the championship in 2021. He raced as a special "wildcard" entry for Triple Eight Race Engineering in the 2021 Bathurst 1000. He teamed up with Broc Feeney in a Supercheap Auto-sponsored Holden Commodore.
Other Racing Adventures
In October 2018, Russell Ingall tried something new: Stadium Super Trucks racing at Sydney Motorsport Park. He finished seventh and fifth in the two races that weekend. The next year, he raced in the series again at the Gold Coast 600. In April 2021, Russell stepped in to race for Nash Morris, who was injured, in the series' final two races at Symmons Plains.
Russell Ingall's Media Career
In 2015, Russell Ingall became a co-host for Fox Sports' coverage of V8 Supercars. He worked alongside five-time champion and former rival Mark Skaife. Russell also hosts an online video series called Enforcer and The Dude with Paul Morris.
Career Highlights
Russell Ingall has had a long and successful career in various forms of motorsport. Here are some of his key achievements:
- 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988: Australian National Sprint Kart Championships - 1st
- 1990: Motorcraft Formula Ford Driver to Europe Series - 1st
- 1993: British Formula Ford Championship - 1st
- 1995: Bathurst 1000 winner
- 1997: Bathurst 1000 winner
- 2005: V8 Supercar Championship Series - 1st
Images for kids
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The Paul Morris Motorsport Holden VE Commodore of Russell Ingall at the 2011 Clipsal 500 Adelaide
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The Holden VE Commodore of Russell Ingall at the 2012 Clipsal 500 Adelaide
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The Holden VF Commodore of Russell Ingall at the 2013 Clipsal 500 Adelaide
