Russell Ingall says he is still learning after maiden TCR Australia podium

Russell Ingall has said he is still learning the ropes in the TCR Australia series despite taking his first podium in the category on Saturday at Queensland Raceway.

The 2005 Supercars champion had his first round in a TCR machine last month at The Bend and used that experience to secure his first podium in racing since the 2013 Supercars Gold Coast 600.

Driving as a guest for Melbourne Performance Centre in their Audi RS 3 LMS, Ingall spoke after the race saying that while he learnt a lot from The Bend, he’s still getting his head around driving the front wheel drive machines.

“I learnt at The Bend that on the first lap there’s plenty going on, especially with the cars so loose,” he said.

“I was probably a bit cautious on that first lap and I’m lucky I was because I left a gap, all the mayhem went down and out I popped.

“Otherwise it was good, the track was really dirty so it made it hard, as Tony (D’Alberto, Wall Racing) found out towards the end when you go off line it just sends it. The track was a lot different to qualifying.

“I’m still getting my head around the cars, especially over a race distance. The heat makes a big difference to the front tyres as well so you have to coax it but we’ll give it a tune up because it’s not far away.

“It’s a lot easier to go back to a track you know as well because it makes the job easier. It’s good to have a champion (Jean-Karl Vernay) in the same team as well because I picked up a lot from how he drives the car. ”

A veteran of Australian motorsport at its highest levels, Ingall says the TCR spec Audi is far different to the Supercars he was used to driving which may be a positive for young stars in the country.

“They’re a different toy, there’s no comparison to what I’ve driven previously; you’ve got to get rid of a few habits and gain a few as well,” Ingall said.

“They’re enjoyable and the good thing about them is they’re edgy so you have to keep on to it. They’re probably more edgy than a Supercar because you have to pay attention and if you don’t you’re gone.

“That will make good racing once most teams and drivers get their head around it as the year goes on, that’ll be the good thing, the unpredictability of the car. “To drive it fast, you have to drive it on the edge and when you drive it on the edge, mistakes happen.

“Where I think in a Supercar there’s a lot of leeway, you make a mistake and collect it up, in these you make a mistake and it punishes you.

“I’d love to do the rest of the series and I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t believe in it. I think the category is a great category, it’s good for young drivers to learn how to race because the racing will get tougher.

“There’s not many other categories that you can jump into where you get this kind of racing experience. The cars aren’t like anything else but that’s not the point; I believe race craft is more important than learning to go fast.”

Ingall will be looking to taste the champagne again tomorrow in the closing two races of the round at Queensland Raceway.