Russell Danzey - Euro Karting
| Play Your Karts right | |
| Russell races to finals of Euro championship after fixing fuel line Care of Nick Ward Sheffield Newspapers | |
| Sheffield kart ace Russell Danzey will be taking his place on the grid at the European Championship after jumping out of the driver's seat and turning mechanic during a qualifying race. It looked like curtains for the 14 year old Dore boy race when his high powered kart broke down during qualifiers in Angerville France. After being consistently in the top five fastest in free practice, Russ looked certain to finish in the top 25 which would gain him a place in the Euro Championship Race to be held in Spain in July. Then a series of carburetor problems robbed Russell of his true pace, leaving him 21st on the grid at the start. But worse was to come for the teenager, a pupil of Westbourne School. A speedy turn around at the start meant the fuel pipe had not been attached. After the green flag was waved for the formation lap Russ' kart stopped and he was left stranded as the pack continued to warm up. But cool-headed Russ got out of the kart and re-attached the fuel line and had an agonising wait until the fuel pumped through to kick his engine in to action. Mum Kathryn said; 'The marshals were shouting for him to retire, but he ignored their cries and set off a good half a lap down, taking the start line in 34th place.' Russ came through the carnage of the first corner and with brilliant overtaking finished the weekend's racing 20th overall - meaning qualification. He said: 'I went to France hopeful of a podium finish, however I am delighted to have qualified for the finals. It wasn't the result that I was looking for, but it was actually some of the best racing that I have ever done. Russ is now being tipped to go on the challenge for the World Karting Crown. Courtesy of Sheffield Newspapers |
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| Russell travels to France in bid to qualify for the European finals! | |
| Russ races in Angerville | |
| n his first European race of the season Russ has high hopes for the European qualifiers in Angerville France. Two years ago he was the youngest person ever to qualify for the race which is said to be the European finals but which attracts drivers from the whole world. Russ says, ‘Last year I was in the top 5 but was unfortunately driven off the circuit on the last lap, so I am looking to make amends this year.’ He is the only driver representing the BRM team and over the last 3 months he has been developing their chassis to hopefully put him at the front of the grid and see him at the finals in Spain in July. After winning a round of the British Super 1 last year, he has gained recognition from many in the sport. His driver coach, Tom Brown has been delighted with his progress and say’s ‘There is no better driver in the class, Russ can be proud of his achievements.’ |
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| The magnificent 7th | |
| Posted on June 1st 2008 | |
| Russell was delighted with his charge from the back of the field to ultimately take 7th at last weekend’s (31 May/ 1 June) Karting Grand Prix at Varennes in France. The 13-year old overcame a string of set-backs – including his kart inexplicably becoming undriveable through corners, a motor refusing to start and a crash. “It was such a hard weekend, but I learned a lot,” he said. “In practice on Thursday I was one of the fastest drivers there, but on Friday, the team were scratching their heads - the kart would be brilliant for 5 laps and then just horrible. No matter what we tried, the kart was the same – ballistic then pants.” This affected his qualifying performance, and he found himself propping up the rear of the grid for the first race. A great drive from last to 15th was undone when Russ’ handling problems re-occurred. Sadly the same thing happened in the following race - when he battled his way from 21st to 9th only to find his kart mishandling after 5 laps – and he dropped to 17th. Some inspired changes to the set-up of the rear of the kart first thing on Sunday morning cured the problem. But a new disaster hit when his engine wouldn’t start for the qualifying session. Forced to start the first final from the back - and with a new engine - Russ came from 30th to 15th and believed he could have finished higher if the race had been longer - “I was catching a gaggle of karts and knew that I was faster but simply ran out of laps.” With the rain tipping down, Russ believed that the tight first hairpin would play to his advantage - “From the start, the track runs downhill to a tricky left-hander. In all the previous races people had been going off there just after the start. But this time, not one kart came off!” Driving past four karts in one lap, Russ found himself in 10th and picked off three more, one by one to take the chequered in 7th. “We got it right in the end,” Russell said. “To think that I finished 7th after starting back in 30th is great but I think I could’ve won if I’d started in the top ten.” Russell will return to Varennes in September to compete in the European KF3 Championship – if he gets through next month’s qualifying race at Alcaniz, in Spain. |
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| Russell’s all revved up for Angerville | |
| Posted on April 4th 2008 | |
| Russell is determined to put a difficult last race behind him and bounce back with a strong performance at the second round of the international Winning Series Karting Championship, at the demanding Angerville track in France. He says: “I was trying too hard at La Conca (in Italy, where the first round was held in March). Finishing down in 20th place was disappointing and didn’t reflect what I know I’m capable of. But you have weekends like that in karting, and I’ve learned from making those mistakes – so I’m looking forward to proving that on Sunday.” Already in testing Russ has been quick, but is keen not to get over-confident about his chances: “I was driving well and surprising some people with how much speed I was carrying into and out of the corners. But we’ll see… Realistically, I’m aiming for a top ten finish.” His JRP team is also eager not to get carried away. The boss, Mark Berryman says: “Russell’s put in some great performances already this season, so it’s easy to forget that this is a building year for him. He’s racing some kids who are 18 months older than him and with a lot more experience.” Indeed, Dutch youngster, Nyck De Vries – winner at La Conca – although the same age as Russ, has been racing since he was aged five, five years more behind the wheel than Russell. Mark Berryman again: “It will be difficult for Russ with the class of competition he’s up against, but we’ll all be very happy if he can finish inside the first ten places.” |
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| Russell encouraged by another strong performance | |
| Posted on 20th March, 2008 | |
| Russell says he’s more encouraged than disappointed by his performance in Italy last weekend - despite finishing in 20th place. 13-year old Russell and his JRP team had gone to the opening round of the International Winning Series Karting Championship at the superb La Conca circuit in Puglia, confident that they could build upon his recent fine showings at the Winter Cup and the Margutti Trophy (both in Italy). In Timed Qualifying, Russ was 8th fastest in his group, but 31st overall – showing just how close the competition is at this level. Perhaps it was his 13th position on the starting grid that produced the bad luck that followed, but he found that being mid-pack produced some frantic moments. Moments after the start of his first heat, Russell had rocketed up to 7th place - but as the field braked heavily for the first hairpin, he suddenly found himself hit by another driver, “I turned in and another driver - who was some way behind me – just didn’t brake. He clattered into me and as I span, another kart hit me and knocked my nassau panel [plastic bodywork covering the steering column] off. I couldn’t continue and was on the back-foot after that.” Realising that he needed to finish no lower than 9th position in each of his remaining three races, Russell – who once skied from the top of Mont Blanc in a white-out – again showed his gritty determination and character by taking 7th, 8th and 9th-placed finishes to qualify for the Pre-Final. Team boss Mark Berryman said: “Russell qualified in 26th place, which was pretty special considering that he was under a lot of pressure after his first heat went wrong. 90 drivers entered his class and 28 were on the early plane home after the heats. A further 28 went home after the ‘Recupero’ [last chance race] – so he did really well to make it to the last 34.” Russell finished the “hectic” Pre-Final in 17th place, putting him on the vital inside line of row 9 for the Final. He didn’t get a great start, but survived the first corner as five karts went off the track. Having dropped to 20th after making a small mistake, Russell began a fight-back. His dad, Robert said: “At this level, the quality [of the drivers] is unbelievable and at times it’s hard to remember that Russ is a lot younger and less experienced than the others. He got back up to 16th and we knew that if he could get up to at least 15th, he’d be in a points-scoring position for the Championship. He was side-by-side with another kid, who, once they got onto the straight, just side-swiped him! Russ’ kart was fully sideways – at about 80 miles per how and how he held on to it, I’ll never know”. Clearly fired-up now, Russell clawed his way back into 16th and was beginning to eye a possible 15th or 14th spot when another mistake saw him drop a wheel onto the grass and he lost ground. Finishing in 20th place, he was philosophical: “I was just trying too hard. I’m disappointed not to have finished higher but you have weekends like this in karting. I’ve learned a lot and won’t make the same mistakes again.” |
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| Russell finds silver lining in rain clouds of Parma | |
| Posted on 11th March, 2008 | |
| Russell has again underlined that he’s a talent to watch – after another superb performance on an Italian track. Fresh from making a terrific impression at the Winter Cup at Lonato, Italy a fortnight ago, 13 year-old Russell put in another skilful performance at the last ever Margutti Trophy to be held at the Kartdromo San Pancrazio, Parma, Italy over the weekend of 8/9 March. It was a leap of faith for the young JRP driver - “I was expecting it to be tough, as I’d not raced there before but I’ve driven a lot of miles round the track in testing. [During the previous week’s testing, local ace] Kevin Ceccon did a 45.3 second lap and I did a 45.4. No-one else managed to get into the 45 second barrier, so I was confident of being on the pace.” Russell finished in 9th place in Qualifying but was able to take a brace of 8th-placed finishes in his two heats to line up on the fifth row of the grid for the Semi-Final. “In the first heat, my tyre pressures were too low and that affected my kart’s handling. I lost a few places, but it wasn’t a disaster. I saved that for the second race” he joked. “In the next heat, I’d got up to third but clouted a kerb so hard that I bent the left-hand, front wheel up by 6 centimetres. The kart was pretty-much undriveable in the right-hand corners, but I was able to finish 8th again”. As the excitement built off the track, the tension developed on it. Russell survived a scrappy, abrasive Semi to qualify for the Final – but in 24th place. “Some of the driving standards were getting a bit ‘brutal’ at this stage but I got a good start and was up to 16th when I got pushed wide going into a corner.” This opened a big gap allowed several drivers through and Russell dropped back to 20th. Never one to give up, Russell fought his way back into 15th – which didn’t reflect the true nature of his performance. “I’m pleased because my speed showed that I was on the pace of the leaders. I’ve also learnt a massive amount more [about racing in Europe] over the weekend and I hardly made a mistake all weekend. A bit more luck and I’ll be alright”, he grinned. And it’s back to Italy for Russell’s next race – he’s in action again in just 4 days time in the opening round of the WSK Series at La Conca in Puglia (15/16 March). Russell says: “I feel confident and relaxed. I was quick when I tested there and if I correct the mistakes I did make at Parma, then I think a top 5 is on. I’ve just got to get on with it.” |
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| Well the tension's certainly mounting over in Italy right now. | |
| Posted on 6th March, 2008 | |
| Tomorrow sees Russell back in action - this time at the Margutti Trophy, Parma - where he'll be hoping that a fast time in qualifying will put him at the front of the grid for Saturday's heats. Strong performances in these, will give him a good position for Sunday's historic final. During testing, Russell has been quick and is looking good to repeat the excellent form he showed two weeks ago at the Winter Cup. |
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2010 Calendar
MSA British Chamionship (UK)
12/03/10-14/03/10 Shenington
23/04/10-25/04/10 Larkhall
28/05/10-30/05/10 Nutts Corner Ireland Provisional
18/06/10-19/06/10 Rowrah
06/08/10-08/08/10 Glan y Gors
03/09/10-05/09/10 Whilton Mill
23/10/10-24/10/10 PF International
CikFIA Western European Qualifiers
08/07/10-11/07/10 PFI (UK)
CikFIA European Finals
08/07/10-11/07/10 Genk (Belgium)
Macmillan Race Challenge
16/07/10 PFI (UK)
Kartmasters Grand Prix
29/07/10-01/08/10 PFI (UK)
Contact Information
Rob Danzey
Telephone +44 (0)777 999 5555
