THE last time Russell Ingall missed the Bathurst 1000 Paul Keating was prime minister, Meat Loaf was topping the charts and Larry Perkins won the Great Race.
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But for the first time since 1993, Ingall looks set to be a commentator rather than a competitor at Mount Panorama in October.
“It's been a fair run there, but so far the phone hasn't called,” Ingall said.
“It's looking like I might be sitting up in the Fox studios looking at it for once which is going to be very odd.
“I'm not sure how the feeling's going to be about that. I don't think it will be a good feeling to be quite honest.”
The two-time Bathurst winner teamed up with Nissan's Rick Kelly last year, but David Wall will take his place after signing earlier in the year.
Chaz Mostert's horror crash in practice for Bathurst in 2015 thrust Ingall back into action two years ago, one year after he filled the vacancy created by an injury to James Courtney.
The 53-year-old old says it will be hard to be on the sidelines, but isn't ruling out his chances of answering another late call-up.
“You might get one of these Hollywood drivers fall over and break a fingernail then I'll be in,” Ingall joked. “[But] as we speak now it looks like we'll be talking about it instead of doing it.”
Ingall triumphed with Perkins at Bathurst in 1995 and 1997, but still believes he could make an impression if he gets a 25th tilt at the race.
“If you're going to do it you want to be in a car that's at least capable of getting on the podium and a lot of those opportunities are gone so we'll just have to stand-by,” he said.
