BEHIND THE WHEEL – Cam Ingram

PPIHC
September 28, 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, September 28, 2023

BEHIND THE WHEEL

ROAD SCHOLAR’S CAM INGRAM SHOWCASES PORSCHE ON PIKES PEAK

Colorado Springs, CO – The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, brought to you by Gran Turismo, has hosted drivers from around the world, and from coast to coast. Cam Ingram has traveled from Durham, NC to Colorado Springs, Colorado for the past three years to take part in the annual Race to the Clouds.

As the owner of Road Scholars, Ingram’s expertise lies in restoring and servicing investment grade and concours-winning Porsches, returning them to precise historical authenticity. In 2011, Ingram restored a 1950 Porsche Gmund Coupe to showcase at Pebble Beach, where it was awarded Best in Class. Ingram shared that one of his favorite driving experiences was a 72 mile cruise up the coast from Pebble Beach, with his mother, in his 1960 Porsche Carrera Abarth in 2019.

While some may feel more comfortable with one-of-a-kind collectible cars safely parked in the garage, Ingram feels they are tools that are meant to do a job and should be driven.

Rookie Run

Ingram’s first year on the mountain ended with a weather-shortened run to the 16 Mile marker. He finished second in the Porsche Pikes Peak Trophy division in his 2020 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport.

In 2022, Ingram was back on the mountain behind the wheel of his Clubsport clocking an 11:22.691 in the Porsche Pikes Peak Trophy division.

Despite a second year of clouds, fog and uncooperative weather, Ingram finished a full course run to the summit in 2022 earning the division win.

Spec-Division to Pikes Peak Open

After two years in the one-make Porsche division, Ingram jumped to Pikes Peak Open and the Emotion Porsche, explaining, “I had an incredible experience racing in the Porsche Pikes Peak Trophy by Yokohama division in 2021 and 2022.”

“Racing the Porsche GT4 Clubsport taught me how to drive the mountain in a momentum car and fully understand all the subtle complexities of the different sections of the course. It was also a challenging division because everyone is racing the same spec GT4 with Yokohama Advan A052 tires and no one has a performance edge over the other competitors. Jeff Zwart, who coached the division since its inception, was a difference-maker.”

“I made the decision to graduate to the Pikes Peak Open division and race the Emotion Porsche GT3R TT this year after my successful run in 2022. Going from a Cayman CS with 425hp and DOT approved race tires to a 911 GT3R Twin Turbo with 1,000hp on Yokohama race slicks was like going from riding a bicycle to a motorcycle. I had to adapt my racing line with a big horsepower car, much more mechanical grip, and everything happening at a much faster pace. It was a serious learning curve for me and a testament to Joey Seely and his Emotion Engineering team of how good the GT3R TT is to drive. Rhys Millen was very helpful with his feedback on the GT3R TT that he won with last year, and, his knowledge of the mountain.”

Race Prep ’23

“It was a tough year to adapt to a new car. We had limited practice time because of the inclement weather during the month of June. I had to be methodical and hyper conservative in practice sessions. It was my first time on slicks on the mountain and most of the time we were dealing with frozen temperatures.”

Personal Best

After the move to the highly competitive Pikes Peak Open division for his third appearance on the mountain, Ingram practiced and qualified well. On race day he clocked his best finish time, a 10:43.476, claiming sixth in the fifteen driver field.

Asked what draws him back to competition in the Race to the Clouds, Ingram shared, “I love the history of Hill Climb events in Europe and Porsche’s success story with those events. Pikes Peak is one of the last and truly-grueling hill climb events left in the world. It’s a challenge in every way,” he continued, “and, as we all know, the mountain decides.”

Look for Ingram and Road Scholars this weekend at Rennsport Reunion 7 at WeatherTech Raceway in Laguna Seca, CA, along with other PPIHC race cars and drivers.

GET TO KNOW CAM INGRAM

Three Things For Fans To Know:

“My French Bulldog, Major, is my mascot and always present on my race cars. He’s a tough, lovable, and resilient little guy. He reminds me to not take life too seriously and enjoy the ride.”

“The first car I ever drove was a 1976 Lincoln Continental Mk IV Cartier Edition when I was three years old. My parents left me alone in the car and I pulled down on the column shifter and ran into the closed garage door of our home. From a young age, I wanted to drive.”

“My daily driver is a 1994 BMW 328i with a lot of upgraded M3 parts. I affectionately call it my Faux Three.”

Why do you race #9? “Growing up, I was a big fan of Ted Williams and always admired his work ethic in baseball. He also had great messages about compassion and the human condition. Number #9 is dedicated to his example and is my lucky number.”

Favorite Corner: “Cog Cut”

Most Challenging: “The Upper Section”

Advice for PPIHC Rookies? “Watch countless hours of YouTube videos of past races from different eras. I like to watch Rhys Millen, Jeff Zwart, David Donner, David Donohue, and Raphaël Astier. I recommend living in Colorado for the entire month of June and driving the mountain every day in a rental car. I still get out of the car to walk many of the corners and do a lot of mental visualization exercises.”

If you could race any car up the mountain, what would it be?

“It would definitely be the Peugeot 208 T16 that Sebastien Loeb drove in 2013. Everything about that program, car, and driver was unbelievable!”

Favorite Track: “Virginia International Raceway or Mid-Ohio”