RUSSELL RACING

Matt Russell aims to conquer his qualifying demons at Knockhill next weekend, 17th/18th June, when the seventh and eighth rounds of the Formula Renault UK season take place at the centre of Scottish motorsport. The Russell Racing ace openly admits qualifying has been his Achilles heel so far this year but after a much-improved performance in race conditions during last weekend’s event at Thruxton, the 22-year-old Harlesden driver is confident he can produce his best qualifying session of the season at the Fife venue in a little over a week’s time. Knockhill is a notoriously challenging circuit but the Doncaster-based team is hopeful rounds seven and eight will be the turning point of the season, Matt himself identifying the top 15 as a realistic target for qualifying. “The two Thruxton races were definitely the most confidence building of the season so far from my point of view and I certainly enjoyed them”, said the Formula Renault BARC Vice-Champion. “Again, qualifying was a problem and that’s something I need to sort out but the races themselves were good and I’m hoping for more of the same at Knockhill. “I’ve been given a good car at every meeting so far this season, the team has been doing a great job, I’ve just not performed in qualifying and that needs to change. If we can qualify more strongly then, hopefully, I’ll be able to reward the team for its effort with some improved race results.” Matt added: “Moving further forward on the grid will only give me more confidence and that’s what I aim to achieve at Knockhill. I haven’t got a huge amount of experience there but hopefully we’ll be able to make some good progress in the test session and then convert that into a better qualifying performance and two successful races.”