Russell Danzey - News from the kart track
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| I am incredibly excited to be announcing that the JM team have switched to the RK Kart and in my first test session the team have helped me to equal the lap record for the KF3 class. I am looking forward to the 2010 Season with great optimism as I step up to the Senior class of KF2. I would like to thank the JM team, my driver coach, Tom Brown and my engine builder James Mills for all their hard work. I could not achieved the results of last year without this back up and also I am incredibly grateful to my family who are tireless in their support. My first race in the Senior KF2 class is a British round of the Super 1 Winter Series at my home circuit at PFI on February 7th. |
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| Danzey vows to come out of the blocks fighting in 2010 | |
| The Sheffield based youngster is set for a fantastic 2010 | |
| Exciting young Sheffield karting star Russ Danzey endured a season of two halves in 2009, gutsily overcoming the odds to triumph twice in succession and secure third position in the British Championship – and he vows that the experience has made him a better driver to come out of the starting blocks fighting in 2010. Not unlike Lewis Hamilton’s rollercoaster ride in Formula 1, Russ began the campaign in low-key fashion only to punch above his weight, snatch victory in seemingly impossible circumstances and wind up as one of the outright KF3 class pace-setters following a mid-season kart switch. What’s more, with his original chassis proving to be somewhat less forgiving than what the 15-year-old had been used to in the past, every tiny mistake was costly indeed so he ‘always had to make sure of being inch-perfect every lap’. Impressive back-to-back successes in Formula Kart Stars (FKS) at Glan Y Gors and Rowrah when the heavens opened with a vengeance, transforming his underperforming kart, were almost completed by the hat-trick in similarly treacherous conditions at PF International, but for a tyre pressure error that restricted him to a battling third. Still, third spot in the final title standings in the same series that first set Hamilton on-track for the big time – and one that now boasts the prestigious official backing of both the ten-time grand prix-winner and influential F1 ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone – was a fine achievement indeed. “It’s been a tough but rewarding year,” reflected the Dore-based ace. “The kart was two seconds off the pace to begin with, but that helped to improve me as a driver, as I knew that I still had to go out there and drive it as hard as I could and get round the circuit as quickly as I could. When you’re down at the back you have nothing to lose, and you can just focus on going forwards. “I certainly never expected to get two wins and be battling for second in the championship in FKS, but halfway through we were right up there, and if it hadn’t been for the bad round we had with the engine failure at Whilton Mill, we would have been right in contention. Apart from that, we didn’t finish outside the top six all season, which we were really pleased with. We were consistent all the way through, and we were one of the strongest threats, at times even stronger than the driver who won the championship – and he had the leading chassis in Europe underneath him all year. “I don’t think anybody really expected us to win with the equipment we had at our disposal to begin with, and to be honest I thought we’d be lucky even to get into the top five, but I worked so hard with Tom Brown, my driver coach and the team manager. He has been the biggest factor for me this year, just in terms of keeping me believing. He had to look after three drivers who were all doing badly initially, and he kept the whole team alive. We just had to keep looking to the future and looking to the next round. It’s certainly been a character-building year, and one that has changed my viewpoint to an extent too, in that I understood that you don’t necessarily have to be the quickest in order to win.” Be that as it may, when his equipment allowed Russ was nothing if not quick, and as he prepares to graduate to the more powerful and fiercely-competitive KF2 class next year, his confidence is up from having proven that he can mix it with the very best in the country. Now aboard a chassis bearing the initials and input of grand prix-winner Robert Kubica, the Westbourne School pupil is buzzing about its potential, and also about that of the new IAME engine that he will have behind him in 2010. Having lapped right up at the sharp end of proceedings in his sole two meetings with the ‘RK’ to-date – and knowing that there is a lot more pace yet to be extracted from it – Russ could scarcely contain his enthusiasm after testing his new KF2 mount, meaning both he and the JM Racing outfit with whom he competes are looking to the future with justifiable optimism. “I love it!” he enthused. “I went testing for the first time at PF, and as the day wore on I got more and more into my stride. The RK was unbelievable; driving it was like stepping into a different world. It’s really forgiving, the brakes are incredible and it’s just so easy to control. Every lap we were able to be consistent, because the kart just felt so good. “It’s nice to be staying with the same team. I have a lot of history with JM, and having been with four different teams in four years before joining them, it’s good to be staying on-board and not having to move around and learn how to work with new people and a new mechanic. They all know how I work and I know how they work, so I really think we can hit the ground running in 2010. “I don’t see any reason why we can’t win the British Championship to be honest. We’ve been very quick after just two days of testing, and I think the class will be quite open with some good drivers coming up from KF3 and some experienced KF2 drivers staying put. I think we can definitely finish in the top three, but to be honest t |
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| Danzey Proves South Yorkshire's Got Talent | |
| Russ gets a starring role | |
| He may have won all sorts of prestigious accolades out on the racetrack, but Sheffield’s budding Formula 1 star Russ Danzey has now received a very special recognition indeed, in being selected as one of just seven young prodigies for a feature entitled ‘South Yorkshire’s Got Talent’. Going under the subheading of ‘Tomorrow’s Superstars Unveiled’, it is arguable that Russ has been a superstar from the very moment he first sat inside a kart aged ten, with his speed, skill and determination to succeed swiftly marking him out from the crowd. He has since gone onto prove himself as one of the very brightest young prospects in Britain, and at just 15 this year finished inside the top three outright in Formula Kart Stars (FKS), the same championship that first launched a certain Lewis Hamilton on the fast track to F1 World Championship glory, and one that now boasts the prestigious official backing of both the 11-time McLaren-Mercedes grand prix-winner and the sport’s influential ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone. Little wonder, then, that the Dore-based speed demon’s potential has been noticed in the way that it has. “The first I ever heard about it was when I got a ‘phone call saying I had been nominated, and that they wanted me to go for a photo shoot! “Seven people were chosen in total, from all walks of life – a boxer, a gymnast, a rock band, a businesswoman... I got to meet some really interesting people. You are always so busy concentrating on your own thing that you don’t really get much chance to see what’s going on outside your world. “We all met up at an old theatre in Sheffield, and had a series of shots taken both individually and as a group. It was certainly different – I’ve never really done much acting before! I’m used to getting my picture taken a lot, but not like that!” The second-youngest of the seven stars chosen for the ‘shoot’, Russ admitted that for all of his on-track success and accolades, this latest recognition was quite something indeed, being picked out from some 400,000 young people in South Yorkshire. And it certainly can’t do his career prospects much harm either, he reasoned. “It means a lot to me,” the Westbourne School pupil confessed. “To be one of only seven people to be chosen from the whole of South Yorkshire is a big thing, and to be put with those other six fantastic people on the cover of a magazine, I just felt really privileged to be a part of it all. The coverage and publicity gained from it was really good too, so hopefully it might help to open a few doors as well...” As to the delicate balancing act he has to perform in order to make sure he both keeps up with his schoolwork and maintains his stunning on-track form, finally, the JM Racing ace admitted that it does not leave him much time for a social life – but then that, he explains, has never been the priority. “Obviously it has been difficult to fit all my racing in with my GCSEs, but they’re both really important to me so I just find the time,” Russ told ‘Go!’ magazine, in which the feature appears. “On exam days I don’t train, but I do extra at weekends. Luckily, my school is very supportive. Sometimes I think my mates don’t realise just how much time and effort I put into it or how physically challenging it is – but it’s all worth it and I do manage to get a good balance. “There are loads of skills needed to be a good driver; the most important is to have a good attitude towards the sport and who you’re racing with. The thrill of it is amazing. Sometimes it’s all a bit hard to believe – I’m so lucky to be doing something that I love. I just love everything about the sport; the adrenaline, the speed, the rush of being two centimetres away from the floor doing 85mph – I can’t get enough!” |
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| Karting Star danzey helps to raise £3000 for a good cause | |
| Russ champions Neurocare | |
| Exciting young Sheffield motorsport star Russ Danzey has been putting his on-track skills towards a worthy cause by organising a charity karting day that helped to raise more than £3,000 for local life-saving organisation Neurocare – and the event was such a success that a second one is already in the pipeline for next year. Ten teams of four amateur drivers – of differing levels of ability – pitted themselves against each other in an hour-long battle of endurance around the challenging PF International circuit in Lincolnshire, the ‘home’ track for Russ’ JM Racing team, with whom he competes in leading British series’ Super 1 and Formula Kart Stars (FKS). Whilst there may not have been any budding Lewis Hamiltons or Jenson Buttons in attendance, the calibre of the participants was none-too-shabby at all, noted the 15-year-old Dore-based ace. “I did a couple of demo laps for them to show them what sort of lines they should be taking,” recounted Westbourne School pupil Russ. “Of course it’s hard for karting rookies to come in and go up against some people who had done it before, but I think they all did quite well. “I think the whole day went very well, to be honest. We raised some good money for Neurocare and had a lot of positive feedback from the drivers who took part. I think everyone just really enjoyed it.” Aside from the on-track thrills and spills, there was also an auction of various sporting memorabilia – including books signed by reigning F1 World Champion Hamilton and British racing legend Sir Stirling Moss, a signed and framed photograph of Hamilton winning the 2008 Monaco Grand Prix, autographed Red Bull Racing F1 race cards and a limited edition poster of the spectacular Royal Air Force Red Arrows – as well as a raffle, a champagne celebration to toast the winners and a hog roast to complete the day. “It was my first event personally,” revealed Neurocare fundraiser Emma Douglas. “I only started at Neurocare six weeks ago, and this was the first project I had taken on for myself. It kind of ended up being my baby... “The money raised will go into a general fund for various different projects that Neurocare is working on. One of the key ones at the moment is intraoperative monitoring equipment, which basically monitors a patient’s nervous system during surgery and is able to spot any damage that might be done. “An awful lot of organisation went into the day, and I think it was a great success. The guys down at the track were fantastic and everybody who came seemed to have a really good time. It was perfect for us in terms of fundraising, and I hope it was beneficial for Russ too, because he is a great kid. “I wasn’t able to get out on the track unfortunately, but our chief executive Lesley Eland did. She said it was really tiring, but she had a lot of fun – even if she did win the ‘Driving Miss Daisy’ award! Overall, it’s definitely something we would consider doing again.” More young people die from head injuries every year than from any other cause, whilst brain tumours are the biggest cancer killer in men under 45 and women under 35. At present there are no cures for many of the most common neurological illnesses. Neurocare is a dynamic, forward-thinking charity that funds ground-breaking research, pioneering projects, innovations and breakthroughs in medical care and cutting-edge equipment for people with head injuries and debilitating neurological conditions from brain tumours to strokes, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease, Motor Neurone Disease and Epilepsy. Neurocare is currently raising money for both Sheffield Children’s Hospital and the Neurosciences Department at Royal Hallamshire Hospital in the city, with the goal of making the latter the best in the UK in terms of facilities. The Hallamshire is the sole NHS hospital in the country with a 3D Sonowand scanner to treat brain tumours, whilst the epilepsy telemetry unit in Sheffield is the only one of its kind in Britain outside of London. |
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| Danzey dazzles through the spray | |
| Second triumph in quick succession | |
| If victory in round three of the 2009 Formula Kart Stars (FKS) Championship at Glan Y Gors had been a ‘huge surprise’ for Russ Danzey, then a second consecutive success just over a month later at Rowrah has marked the young Sheffield karting star out as a genuine title challenger – and the series’ incontrovertible ‘rain master’. The technically challenging, undulating and physically demanding Cumbrian circuit may have been the scene of the 14-year-old’s breakthrough KF3 class triumph in the national Super 1 Series last year, but by the same token 2009 had been slated at the outset as a development season for his JM Racing outfit’s new BRM chassis, which only a matter of months ago languished as much as two seconds off the leading pace. “To get a win at Glan Y Gors was just incredible,” Russ enthused, “but I still thought we would be struggling a little bit at Rowrah, because we had raced there previously in Super 1 and had been lacking pace. There are some very tight corners and a longish straight, for which you have to rely on the engine quite a lot, and we were a bit down in that respect. It’s probably one of the best drivers’ circuits in the country because of its technical nature, though, and if you make just one little mistake it can affect you so much.” Up at the sharp end in practice, engine issues in qualifying left the Hathersgate ace just ninth on the grid in qualifying, but some changes for race day seemed to do the trick. A strong showing in the pre-final earned Russ a competitive sixth place – and the all-important grand final would be better still. “I got a very good start up into third,” recounted the Westbourne School pupil, “and I was just about keeping up with the two leaders, when going into the bottom corner I got hit from behind, which sent me flying and dropped me to tenth. Luckily, though, the heavens then opened and in one lap I went from tenth to first! I didn’t actually think we’d be quite that quick, to be honest – in fact, to begin with I was pushing too hard and put two wheels onto the grass, but as soon as I calmed down I was able to pull away. “The kart has always had a lot of grip in the rain, and since I’ve been karting I’ve always been quite natural in the wet too; I just seem to be a lot more comfortable than some other drivers are. If you’re too jagged on the steering wheel it’s quite easy to go off, so my smooth style probably helps as well.” With all 22 drivers out on slick tyres on the treacherous track surface, Russ’ deft touch paid dividends, and a commanding advantage of more than 11 seconds when the red flags flew on safety grounds earned him the winner’s trophy and elevated him to a superb second in the drivers’ standings, something he confessed he could never even have dreamt of several weeks ago. Next time out at PF International in Lincolnshire, he will doubtless be gunning for the hat-trick, and whilst refusing to get carried away by his and JM Racing’s outstanding recent success, it is unquestionably now game on. “I was proud not only of my performance but of that of the whole team,” he summarised, “and not just for this weekend, but for every weekend leading up to it. My driver coach Tom Brown has worked with me since my second year of karting when I was 12 and we have a very special relationship, my mechanic Tyrone has been working so hard to help me and the team get the kart to this point, and James Mills is doing a brilliant job with the engines too. I’d like to say a big thank you to BRM as well, and to all the FKS team for doing such a great job and really putting the championship on the map in the karting world.” FKS’ first double-winner of 2009 – in the same series that first set none other than a certain Lewis Hamilton on the fast track to superstardom, and one that over the winter gained the prestigious official backing of both the reigning F1 World Champion and the sport’s ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone – Russ now has a busy couple of weeks ahead of him, with the upcoming Super 1 outing at Whilton Mill this weekend, followed by the high-profile CIK-FIA European Championship Finals at Zuera in Spain a week later still, when he will be hoping for a belated 15th birthday present. “We were quick when we last tested at Whilton,” underlined Yorkshire’s most exciting budding grand prix prospect, “and if we can get the kart a bit more accustomed to the track, hopefully we can get a win there too. To be honest, I had been expecting to be battling just outside of the top ten at this stage, given how hard to drive the kart was back at the start of the year – so to be fighting with the front-runners now is amazing. “If you had said to me that in less than half a year’s time I would be second in one of the two main British championships, winning races and starting to close on the class leader I would never have believed you. The kart has improved a ridiculous amount – I can’t even put it into words really – just in terms of how much work everyone in the team has put into it and how much time we’ve found from it. Nothing about it is the same anymore; it’s changed so dramatically it’s unbelievable.” |
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2009 Calendar
Formula Kart Stars
Kimbolton - April 10-12
Galn Y-Gore - May 15-17
Rowrah - June 26-28
PFI - July 17-19
Genk - August 13-15
Whilton Mill - October 2-4
CikFIA Western European
Qualifiers
Angerville - May 2-3
CikFIA European Finals
Zuera (Spain) - July 11-12
MSA British Chamionship (UK)
PFI - March 21-22
Shenington - May 9-10
Rowrah - June 6-7
Whilton Mill - July 4-5
Nutts Corner - August 22-23
Larkhall - September 12-13
Fulbeck - October 17-18
TV Kartmasters
PFI - August 1-2
Contact Information
Rob Danzey
Telephone +44 (0)777 999 5555
