Russ Danzey overcomes engine woes for top three championship finish 15.10.2009: Exciting young Sheffield karting star Russ Danzey suffered heartbreak in the final meeting on the 2009 Formula Kart Stars (FKS) calendar, with an engine failure costing him the runner-up spot in the title chase – but such has been

Exciting young Sheffield karting star Russ Danzey suffered heartbreak in the final meeting on the 2009 Formula Kart Stars (FKS) calendar, with an engine failure costing him the runner-up spot in the title chase – but such has been the strength of his season that he was still able to hold on to a superb top three championship finish.

The Dore-based speed demon travelled to Whilton Mill buoyed by a hugely successful test on his new RK chassis – the initials being those of F1 front-runner Robert Kubica, who is behind the project – and revved up to go all-out for glory in the double-header finale around the demanding and physically punishing Northants circuit. However, that was to count without the inevitable difficulties of adapting to a new kart – and the appearance of a local specialist on exactly the same chassis, who began the weekend with a head start over the rest of the 17-strong KF3 class grid.

“The goal was definitely to keep second place in the championship,” acknowledged Russ. “Before we went into the weekend I was very confident of being able to win, but when we got there that confidence faded a little bit because there was another driver who was also extremely fast.

“He was on an RK too, but in his case it was effectively the same as the Birel he has been on all year, whereas for us it was a totally different chassis to have to learn, because the BRM required such a completely different driving style. It was his home circuit and his team’s home circuit as well, so he knows it better than anyone else and was always going to have a lot of experience and speed around there.

“The test we did at PF International had gone really well, but initially we found it difficult to adapt to the RK at Whilton – look at Giancarlo Fisichella going from Force India to Ferrari in F1; again it’s a completely different driving style, and it’s taking him a while to get used to it. It’s hard to go from one kart to another anyway, but to do so and then be competitive is another step again.”

Nonetheless, lapping second-quickest most of the way through practice was a promising start given Russ’ lack of experience on the RK, and whilst a couple of changes ahead of qualifying failed to pay off and left him to begin Saturday’s pre-final from fourth, the 15-year-old remained in optimistic spirits.

“We were still quite high up the grid,” he explained, “and we knew we could definitely do some damage from there. I got a decent start and managed to take a place around the outside into third, but unfortunately there was then a bit of a gap ahead to the two leaders. I was slowly catching them up through the middle part of the race, but as the temperature changed I think we had maybe got the tyre pressures a bit too high and I started to drop off their pace a little towards the end.”

Still, third place marked a good, solid result and left Russ comfortably on-course for the runner-up spot in the championship standings, as well as on the cleaner side of the grid for the grand final later in the day, when a small power deficit and uncharacteristic late-race error contrived to drop him to fifth at the chequered flag.

“I managed to push the pole-sitter past the driver who was second on the grid at the start,” he recounted, “and I was half-managing to keep with the leader until my tyres began to drop off a bit again, which caused me to make a few mistakes. I was passed for second and lost my cool a bit – I realised I had made a mistake, and that spawned another. I got overtaken for third into the last corner on the last lap, and in trying to get the place back again I ran wide and lost another – it was my fault.”

Nonetheless, Russ remained comfortably on-target to retain P2 in the championship, and after lapping a close and competitive third-quickest in Sunday morning’s warm-up session, hopes were high – but further tyre pressure woes left him struggling for speed in qualifying and seventh on the grid, with only a brave late effort proving enough to haul him into the top ten, barely a tenth of a second shy of the top four. Worse was to come in the race...

“We went into the day knowing the kart was good enough,” affirmed the JM Racing ace, “but because of the ever-changing conditions we were always chasing the tyre pressures again. Other drivers had been on their karts a lot longer than we had obviously, so they immediately knew what tyre pressures worked best in what temperatures, whereas we were having to effectively find out from scratch.

“We were quick out of the blocks in the race, though, and I made a good start around the outside to gain two positions to fifth. I was catching the top four, and we had set the kart up so that it would come alive more towards the end when the tyre pressures came to us – but then unfortunately the engine reeds blew on lap three, which forced me to retire.

“I checked to make sure it wasn’t simply a wire that had come out of its socket or anything like that, because finishing second in the championship meant so much to me, but unfortunately it was more serious than that. After that I was praying just to be able to hold onto third in the standings to be honest, which luckily we did. That was a little bit of relief, but still I was massively disappointed, because third is only the second loser, isn’t it, and second would have been so much nicer.”

Cruelly just three points adrift of his stated objective when the final positions were calculated, despite the engine failure Russ ended the season in the knowledge that he was one of just 19 of the 180 FKS drivers to have triumphed in a final in 2009, and one of only ten to have done so twice – making him the second-most successful competitor in KF3 in terms of race victories. As he prepares now to step up a level to KF2 off the back of a brace of successful tests in the more powerful category, his optimism and enthusiasm are palpable.

“I’m feeling fairly confident going into KF2,” the Westbourne School pupil enthused. “It’s good to have the official backing of Robert Kubica, and we think and hope he is going to get more involved along the way too – and it seems that whenever I move into a quicker class, I drive better as well..”

Russ is seeking sponsorship to help him compete in 2010, so if you are interested in backing South Yorkshire’s brightest budding grand prix prospect, please contact his father Rob on 07779 995555 or at: robert.danzey@mac.com


- RA -  photo CHris Walker kartpix.com