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Chris Ingram, 28 is the first British Rally Driver in 52 years to become FIA, European Rally Champion. I had the pleasure of sitting down with him to discuss all aspects of his career, including the toll it had on his mental health. Born and raised in Manchester, Chris is incredibly motivated and committed towards one goal; FIA world champion,

The first in his family to forge a career in Rally Driving, Chris in 2019, supported by a crowdfunding campaign defied the odds to become FIA rally champion. Wildly renowned as the toughest racing challenge on the planet, Chris is more determined than ever to become world champion, with the skill, attitude and grit to make his dreams a reality.

Here’s a little more about the man behind the dream:

Chris, can you tell me where this all began? What was your dream job when you were younger and who encouraged you to take up rallying?

My dream was to play football! But then my dad took me to watch Rally Yorkshire when I was ten and I’ve been obsessed with it ever since. My Dad used to do a lot of rallying for fun which was a very expensive hobby! I loved following him around the country and watching him become really successful in the UK National Championships.

Aged 15 you made your debut rallying in the F1000 British Junior Rally Championships in 2010 where you finished second and went on to be champion in 2011. But driving isn’t that hard really, is it? I mean you only sit there and turn a wheel!

Everyone thinks that you are quite literally just driving a car like we do every day to the shops or wherever, but rallying is so much more physically and mentally demanding. We compete for 3 to 4 days, any slight lapse in concentration could mean disaster. You push everything to the absolute limit every split second.

What does the race scheduling look like?

My day starts at 6am and I can still be in the car at 10pm for 3 days. In contrast, a Formula 1 race is about an hour, but we are getting thrown around for up 16 hours a day.

How important is mental and physical preparation before a race? Have you found a routine that works for you?

It’s everything really. You’ve got to be confident, relaxed and as focused as possible to perform at your best. For me, I’m always battling with myself. If I was completely confident and relaxed, I would win every time. So getting myself into the right mindset is crucial.

Is there a mental barrier to break through on a race weekend? Do you ever feel like your head isn’t in the right place? What do you do to get it to where you want it to be?

It’s an insanely competitive environment, you’re under 100 times more pressure and really learn a lot about yourself during a race. There is nothing that can really prepare you for competition as much as doing it. You build resilience, and every time I get the chance to compete, I continually learn so much about myself that I wouldn’t on a normal day. I don’t think you can ever totally prepare; you have to adapt to whatever is thrown at you.

I believe in my driving ability; I wouldn’t have got this far if I didn’t have that massive self-belief in my talent or skill. I go into every race “full attack”, regardless of how dangerous the conditions are.

I need to deliver my best performance every time for the sponsors, my team and the people that have supported me for so long. At the end of every race, I always feel like I have done everything I can.

As was the case in most sports, the pandemic took a huge toll on the rallying world, how did it affect your career?

I won the European Championship before Covid, the first British and youngest ever Champion in over 50 years. And then Covid happened. I lost everything. Everyone was pulling out of partnerships and sponsorships in the UK. Which pretty much put me back to square one despite being European Champion. All my rivals continued their careers, and I was sat on the sidelines for almost 2 years. I went on to really struggle with my mental health. Since then, I have been fighting to get a chance to do a full season in the World Championship.

Was this your first experience of a downward trajectory in your mental health, or is it something you have experienced before?

Looking back, I can see glimpses of mental health struggles when I was younger but didn’t realise it at the time. Prior to the pandemic, my career was going where I wanted it to. Whilst there have always been lots of ups and downs, Covid is when it got really bad. When everything stopped, it felt like my identity was taken away from me. The title of being a Rally Champion was gone, and I was left with nothing. I was depressed, trapped and had no defence against it. My mind was taken over by negative thoughts, it was relentless. I was just spiralling. I didn’t know how to deal with it, and I was losing the fight with it for probably a year. I lost so much weight, I was skin and bones because I was so ill.

The worst thing I did, was not talk to anyone for a long time. It is really common for men in society to try and be brave and strong, and not show any weakness. When in fact, the strongest thing is actually to be open and vulnerable and ask for help. At the time, I was still clinging on to being ok.

I was at rock bottom and lost all motivation, I didn’t train or want to get out of bed, enduring dark thoughts all the time. I could feel my mind was losing sanity which was when I realised and finally reached out for help  to Rick Moylan (who came highly recommended). I got a personal trainer and started training a few times a week. I didn’t share how I was feeling with my family, I ended up pulling myself out of it eventually. I confided in Rick and got a therapist as well, just to talk to someone. I had never talked about “real” things and that was the start of the journey to healing.

It sounds really tough; I am so proud/relieved you have come through it. When do you realise you were in a good place again?

I managed to get sponsorship and a rally programme back together, but even at the start of that it was really challenging because I hadn’t competed for so long, it was like starting again. Just keeping going and never giving up meant I started to have amazing days again. I went from the amazing high of winning the championship and being with Lewis Hamilton to nothing. I feel huge compassion for others, because most people haven’t been through it and probably think it’s a bit weird. But I really understand that dark place. Everyone suffers at some point in their life. I have had people who didn’t get it when I was struggling, to fall into it themselves now.

What do you do now to make sure you never go back to such a dark place again?

I think from being that low to having to fight my way back up, I have built so much resilience and strength that I don’t think I will get that bad again. I look after myself every day. I eat well and I catch myself if I am having negative thoughts, I am always trying to stay one step ahead and improve myself. This is a really good mindset to have, one maybe I would have never had if I hadn’t gone through all this, after all, everything happens for a reason.

I’ve never spoken to a man who is so passionate and driven in their career. You’re absolutely on it!

So are you! When I first joined CPASE, my confidence was still so low, I can’t tell you how inspiring and motivating it was as a place to train and more importantly to recover for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and Cryotherapy.

I see you training in the gym with Scott Quigg a former undefeated British boxing champion, does this help with your mindset and health goals?

I met Scott in 2021 who has helped me a lot. He really helped with my training and got me into boxing. It helped me build back up confidence, he is so positive and determined. His mindset is like a rock, we are totally opposite. I am quite a sensitive person and very open, whereas Scott isn’t unless you know him really well. I have learnt a lot from him. It’s so good to have a mentor, he was a world champion in his sport, so to see how he succeeded has been really amazing.

We have to ask, given the speed you drive on the course/track - how many points do you have on your driving license?

None! I’ve never had a ticket in the UK, but I have had one in almost every other country in Europe. I drive so slowly on the roads that my girlfriend asks me to drive faster!

Finally, is there anyone you would like to thank?

I would like to take the opportunity to thank my sponsors CPASE, WS Transportation, Car Finance 247, Maverick Stars, Stars Trust, JV Pastor Group Monaco for all their support. I am looking for a title partner for the World Rally Championship that starts in January. I am now performing better than ever, and I am on the cusp of a big break in the World Championship so please get in touch if you want to back the winner!

Follow my journey here @chrisingramrally

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