Opel Motorsport are going into this weekend’s 2016 ERC Junior Championship round in Rally Estonia full of confidence after previously securing a podium lockout in Belgium.
At the midway stage of the season, Chris Ingram, who has turned 22 last week has a fifteen-point advantage over his team-mate Marijan Griebel.
Griebel scored his maiden win in the ERC Junior Championship category in last month’s Kenotek Ypres Rally in Belgium. Ingram and Julius Tannert completed an Opel Motorsport podium lockout in second and third place.
Opel Motorsport Director Jörg Schrott spoke positively about the competitiveness of the ERC Junior Championship, saying “For me the ERC Junior Championship is definitely the best competition in Europe. This is the reason why we are here and why we are here competing. We are here now for the second full year, and even last year there was such close competition and there are really good young drivers.”
The Championship leader Ingram said “I had a very warm welcome in the Opel Rallye Junior Team and feel a very strong support in getting myself and the fantastic ADAM R2 to the limit. Now I really know why it was so hard to fight these guys last year. For sure, our main goal now is to maintain the championship lead. I feel consistency will be the key.”
Ingram’s team-mate Griebel added “Ypres was a big relief for all of us. We never were in doubt concerning the performance and potential both of ourselves and the Adam R2, but to be successful at the high level that is required in ERC Junior, you also need some luck. Now we are back in the fight for the championship, I promise I will do everything to give my team-mate (Chris) a hard time!”
Tannert’s third-place finish in Belgium sparked a turning point in the season for the German. “Our main goal for our first season as members of the Opel works team was to learn and develop ourselves as much as possible. “We showed good speed from the very beginning of the season but there were also some mistakes where no one else but us was to blame.”
