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 in London, England) is a famous former Australian V8 Supercar driver. He was known for his tough and determined driving style, which earned him the nickname "Enforcer."
Russell won the V8 Supercars championship title in 2005. He also finished second in the championship four times: in 1998, 1999, 2001, and 2004. He is a two-time winner of the famous Bathurst 1000 race, taking victories in 1995 and 1997.
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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 father 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 became very good, winning several Australian Junior and Senior karting championships.
After his success in Australia, Russell went to Europe to race karts. Later, he moved into Formula Ford racing, which is a step up from karts. During his karting career, he had an accident and lost the first joint of his right index finger. But this didn't stop him from racing!
In only his second Formula Ford race, Russell finished third at the 1988 Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide. He continued to show his talent, finishing second in the Motorcraft Formula Ford Driver to Europe Series before winning the championship in 1990. In 1990, he also drove a Holden Commodore VL car at the 1990 Bathurst 1000 race.
In 1991, Russell went back to Europe. He almost won the British Formula Ford Championship that year. He also raced in Germany for Team Schübel in the German Formula Three Championship. He even raced in the Macau Grand Prix, where he started 23rd and finished an amazing fifth.
During the winter, Russell raced in New Zealand's Formula Ford series. He won easily, taking 10 victories out of 12 races. In 1993, he made history by winning 13 out of 16 races in the British Formula Ford Championship. This was the most wins ever in a single season for Formula Ford.
He finished that amazing season by winning the prestigious Formula Ford Festival and World Cup at Brands Hatch in England. Even with all his success, Russell found it hard to get enough money to keep racing at the highest level in Europe. This was a common problem for Australian drivers there. So, he eventually returned to Australia.
V8 Supercar Career
After racing in Japan for a while in 1994, Russell returned to Touring Cars. He drove for Wayne Gardner Racing at the 1994 Sandown 500 and 1994 Bathurst 1000. At Bathurst, he and his teammate Win Percy led the race for some time before finishing fifth.
Joining Perkins Engineering
In 1995, Russell won the British Formula Renault Championship. Then, he joined Perkins Engineering for the big endurance races in Australia. He was a key part of the team's incredible win at Bathurst that year, where they came from last place to first!
In 1996, Russell became a full-time driver in the V8 Supercar Championship. He won his first V8 Supercar race at Calder Park. He then won the Bathurst 1000 for the second time in 1997. He also finished second at Bathurst in 1998 and 2002.
During his seven years with Perkins Engineering, Russell was a top driver. He finished second in the championship three times (1998, 1999, and 2001) and third in 1997.
Racing with Stone Brothers Racing
After seven successful years, 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 continued to be a strong competitor. He won a round at Symmons Plains and finished third in the final race at Eastern Creek Raceway. 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 finally achieved his biggest goal: he won his first V8 Supercar championship! He had been second four times before, so this was a huge achievement. He raced very smartly throughout the season, planning his strategy carefully to win the title ahead of Craig Lowndes and Marcos Ambrose.
In 2006, Russell finished eighth in the championship. Before the 2007 season ended, he announced he would be moving to a Holden team, leaving Stone Brothers Racing after five years. He finished eleventh in the championship that year. For 2008, Russell joined Paul Morris Motorsport.
Supercheap Auto Racing
In 2008, Russell returned to racing Holden cars with Paul Morris Motorsport. Their main sponsor was Supercheap Auto. His first race with the new team was tough. He had some car damage during practice and had to retire early from one race.
In 2010, Russell was joined by New Zealander Greg Murphy at the team. Russell stayed with Paul Morris Motorsport until the end of 2011. In 2012, he moved to Walkinshaw Racing, still with Supercheap Auto as his sponsor.
In 2013, Russell continued to use the number 66 on his car. This year also saw the introduction of the new Holden VF Commodore car. His performance was a bit up and down. At Townsville, Russell set a new record for the most race starts, beating John Bowe's record. He used the number 226 on his car to celebrate this. For the longer endurance races, Russell teamed up with IndyCar racer Ryan Briscoe.
Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport
After thinking about retiring, Russell decided to race full-time again in 2014. He joined Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport. At the end of 2014, Russell officially retired from full-time racing. However, he continued to compete as a co-driver in the three main endurance races.
Return to V8 Supercars (Part-time)
In 2015, Russell joined the Holden Racing Team for the endurance series. This happened after James Courtney was injured. Russell raced in the Sandown 500 and the 2015 Bathurst 1000 with HRT.
When James Courtney returned, Russell was then signed by Prodrive Racing Australia. He replaced Chaz Mostert, who was injured in his Bathurst crash.
Nissan Motorsport
In 2016, Russell signed with Nissan Motorsport to race in the Pirtek Enduro Cup. He teamed up with Rick Kelly in the number 15 Nissan Altima.
Triple Eight Race Engineering
Russell made a special return to the championship in 2021. He raced as a "wildcard" entry for Triple Eight Race Engineering at the 2021 Bathurst 1000. He teamed up with Broc Feeney in a Supercheap Auto sponsored Holden Commodore ZB.
Other Racing Adventures
In October 2018, Russell tried something new: Stadium Super Trucks racing at Sydney Motorsport Park. He finished seventh and fifth in his two races. He returned to the series in 2019 for the Gold Coast 600 event. In April 2021, Russell stepped in for the injured Nash Morris for two races at Symmons Plains.
Media Career
In 2015, Russell 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 motorsports. Here are some of his key achievements:
- 1984: Australian National Sprint Kart Championships - Class Australia - 1st
- 1985: Australian National Sprint Kart Championships - International Light - 1st
- 1986: Australian National Sprint Kart Championships - Reed Class - 1st
- 1988: Australian National Sprint Kart Championships - International Light - 1st
- 1990: Motorcraft Formula Ford Driver to Europe Series - 1st
- 1993: British Formula Ford Championship - 1st
- 1995: Bathurst 1000 - 1st
- 1997: Bathurst 1000 - 1st
- 2005: V8 Supercar Championship Series - 1st
Images for kids
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Russell Ingall's Holden VE Commodore in 2011
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Russell Ingall's Holden VE Commodore in 2012
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Russell Ingall's Holden VF Commodore in 2013
