Formula Russell Championship Series - Ballsy Pass by Tyler Dueck at Infineon Raceway (1:50)
Jim Russell was a British racing champion in 1957 and came up with the idea to start the world's first racing driver's school to feed growing demand in the UK racing scene.
Over the ensuing 50+ years the Jim Russell Driving School turned novices into race drivers in Britain and the United States. Understanding that selling 3-day drivers schools was not going to
succeed in the long run financially while maintaining a fleet of expensive Formula Ford and various other race cars at multiple tracks, Jim Russell came upon the idea of starting a captive racing
series which was named, conveniently, Formula Russell. The series launched with a custom-made open wheel car running a Mazda engine, treaded high performance street tires, and small front and rear
wings named, of course, the Formula Russell. Soon the series took off in the United States, with business men and young would-be professional drivers going head to head every weekend at tracks
around the country. Star drivers of Formula Russell included Jacques Villeneuve, Danny Sullivan, Emerson Fittipaldi, Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne and Scott Speed.
After 15 years, the original Formula Russell car began to look tired, and the company decided to reorganize as Simraceway Performance Driving Center with karts, a brand-new
Lola-built Formula Russell open wheel car, and high performance sedans.
