Russell Racing duo Andrew Bentley and Ben Mason both enjoyed tremendous debut outings during the fifth and sixth rounds of the Formula Renault BARC Championship at a warm Snetterton earlier today.Bentley, in particular, shone during his first ever outing in a ‘slicks and wings’ car and after scoring a brace of FR2000 Class points during the first of the day’s races, the Northampton 24-year-old went on to achieve an excellent fifth position during round six.Aberdeen-based Mason, meanwhile, was certainly no slouch and especially so considering his complete lack of experience of single-seater racing – the reigning Scottish Legends Champion having never driven an open-wheel car such as the Formula Renault prior to Friday’s general test session at the Norfolk circuit.Both of the Formula Renault BARC rookies exceeded all expectation, the weekend proving even more challenging than first thought, however, with the scheduled 12-lap races blighted by a combined total of four red flag incidents, two in each round.The morning’s 25-minute qualifying session would see each driver’s fastest lap of all setting the grid for round five while their second quickest laps would determine the starting order for the second of the day’s races.For round five Andrew would start in 15th position overall, and 14th in the FR2000 Class, while his 21-year-old Russell Racing team-mate would begin his first ever single-seater race 20th on the grid, 19th in the FR2000 Class.An incident involving Felix Fisher and Michael Vitulli at Riches Corner on the opening lap resulted in red flags being shown almost immediately and with several other drivers failing to note the race stoppage as the field made its way through Coram Curve and towards Russell Chicane, a number of cars made contact in chaotic scenes.Thankfully, Andrew and Ben avoided any of the drama and at the re-start both of the Russell Racing drivers made good getaways. At the start of lap three, however, their progress was thwarted when the red flags were shown for the second time – Pierre Renom the culprit of the new stoppage.Eight laps would be the new race distance for the second re-start and by lap two Andrew had moved into the top 10 while Ben was into the top 12 and racing strongly. A terrific battle between Andrew, Craig Copeland and Michael Broadhurst saw the latter just edge out the Russell Racing ace for eight position by a mere half a second while Copeland would take the final points-paying position ahead of Ben in 11th place.Round six would again be coloured by red flags almost straight away due to a car off the circuit at Riches, so the re-start would be contested over 11 laps. Incredibly, a fourth red flag of the day was shown on lap three but both Russell Racing drivers maintained superb composure throughout.As the race got underway once again, Andrew made his best start of the weekend and quickly moved into fifth position on the opening lap while his Scottish team-mate was into the top 16 and pursuing Club Class leader Ian Pearson.Pursuing fourth-placed Michael Vitulli, Andrew took the chequered flag in a deserved fifth position while Ben crossed the line 16th on the road and 15th in the FR2000 Class. Speaking on a dream Formula Renault BARC debut, Andrew said: “I’m very pleased with the weekend as a whole, especially the second race. We found some more time during round six and we certainly seem to be quicker every time we go out in the car.“We may not have a trophy to show for fifth, but I’m very happy with the result. Running nearer the front with the quicker guys certainly helped to push me on and we made some big steps in the second race.”He added: “It was important to bring the car home without any damage in the first race, it’s very easy for there to be contact when you’re racing so closely, so I was very pleased with a top 10 on my debut. I definitely want to be back out for the next round of the championship, hopefully we’ll be able to find the budget.”Ben was equally happy with his maiden single-seater experience, commenting: “The second re-start of the first race was good. It would have been great to finish in the top 10 but 11th position was a decent result for my first ever race - I’m very happy with it.“In the second race I had a good start, probably my best all day, and kept the car on the black stuff to come home with another pleasing result. I was still getting to grips with the car but I was a bit more aggressive through the Bomb Hole and Coram so it felt better.”Ben added: “I’m well chuffed with my first run in a single-seater. It was a shame both races were hit with so many red flags but it’s been a great weekend and I’m very happy with how we performed in the races.”Matt Shawyer, who was forced to miss the race meeting due to budget restrictions, now lies in fifth position in the FR2000 Class standings, while Andrew’s excellent debut sees him assume a highly creditable 13th place in the championship.Russell Racing will be back on track at Snetterton this Tuesday, 27th June, with Formula Renault UK runner Matt Russell for a full day of exclusive championship testing. Formula Renault BARC, meanwhile, now takes a six-week break until round seven of the season which will take place at Cheshire’s Oulton Park Island Circuit on Saturday, 5th August.