as he plots his own path towards F1
As he prepares to launch his assault on British title glory in 2010, exciting young Sheffield karting star Russ Danzey can take some encouragement from reigning F1 World Champion Jenson Button, who he met for the first time recently at an awards ceremony and whose triumph in the face of adversity he one day hopes to emulate.
As is so often the case in motor racing – inarguably the most expensive sport on the planet – neither the Dore-based speed demon nor the new McLaren-Mercedes recruit was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, meaning that every single one of their successes must be achieved through sheer hard work, perseverance, determination and raw talent, often against almost inconceivable odds.
Just as Button had to demonstrate strength of character to overcome a jittery mid-season run last year to go on to lift the greatest prize in international motorsport, so Russ put a difficult start to proceedings firmly behind him as he grappled with uncompetitive machinery, to knuckle down, refuse to be beaten and ultimately emerge as one of the leading contenders come the final rounds. If Jenson can do it, he points out, then so can he.
“It was the first time I had met Jenson, and I thought he was a very nice guy,” the 15-year-old F1 aspirant revealed, after the seven-time grand prix-winner had handed him his trophy for the 2009 UK-wide Super 1 Series. “I only got enough time to say hello, how are you and congratulations, but he came across as very open and friendly and certainly made an excellent impression. I was surprised by how much time he spent with us to be honest, and it was good to see him giving something back.
“I think pretty much every racing driver in F1 now started off in karting as a first step. Of course, everybody wants to make it, but as you can see from Jenson’s case, the ones that do are those who believe in themselves the most and work the hardest for it. His story is very inspirational; Jenson had been in a series of less-than decent cars for a long time and just always kept his head up and kept going.
“When he finally had the car last year to give him his first shot at the title, he showed just what he is capable of – and we’ve now had two British world champions in two different British cars in two years, which is fantastic. At some stages early on last year I used to think ‘What’s the point in this? I’m not going to win’ – but you’ve just got to keep your head up and keep going, like Jenson did.”
And Russ did win – twice, reaching the highest step of the rostrum at Glan Y Gors in North Wales and Rowrah in Cumbria in the hotly-contested Formula Kart Stars (FKS) Championship, the same series that first set none other than a certain Lewis Hamilton on the fast track to future F1 glory a little over a decade ago, and one that now boasts the prestigious official backing of both the sport’s youngest-ever world champion and also its highly-influential ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone.
Having graduated from KF3 to the more powerful KF2 class for the forthcoming national campaign, the JM Racing ace is bidding to experience the sweet taste of victory on even more occasions still in 2010 – and with a kart bearing the initials and input of Canadian Grand Prix-winner Robert Kubica beneath him, he is buoyant about being able to do just that. The Super 1 curtain-raiser at Shenington, however, will take place on the same weekend as the similarly season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix at Sakhir – so Russ will perhaps be forgiven for not following Button’s McLaren debut too closely...
“I’ve not raced in KF2 yet because I wasn’t old enough to compete in the class at the end of last year, and I’ve not been able to do a great deal of testing either,” the Westbourne School pupil confessed, “but I feel we’ve come on in leaps and bounds since stepping up from KF3, and I’m feeling really confident.
“There aren’t a lot of corners at Shenington, but at the same time it’s hard to be fast around there, because if you mess one of them up you will lose out all the way along the following straight. You need to get every corner perfect, and I do respect the track because it’s not as easy as people on the outside might think. I’m definitely aiming to get a good result, and as long as we all work hard, I think we will be on the pace – and I feel we should be able to fight for the podium.”
Russ is still seeking sponsorship for 2010, and if you are interested in backing South Yorkshire’s brightest budding F1 hope, please contact his father Rob on 07779 995555 or at: robert.danzey@mac.com
