Scott Barnes showed he could mix it up with some of the top karters in America with a respectable showing at the Skip Barber shoot-out.
Barnes missed out on one of the three scholarships on offer for the famous motor school that launched the career of Formula One ace Scott Speed.
But he said he was happy just to show that he could hang in there with the best amateur karters in the States.
"Just to be accepted as one of the fifty entrants in the shoot-out was amazing. It was a great experience.
"I learnt a lot about karting control. A lot of the other guys had driven these type of karts before. You've got guys there whose dads' own tracks.
"It was always going to be tough for me. I went down there expecting to do well but knowing I was going to be up against people who had a lot more experience than I did.
"I'd only been to a couple of clinics on how to drive these cars. They're totally different to the shifter karts I drive in Bermuda and just getting used to them was hard. "A lot of the guys are racing these on a regular basis and getting lap times and practice sessions. I'm racing shifters down at Southside."
Despite those difficulties Barnes, 23, from Spanish Point, was able to finish in the top half.
He'd like to get some regular competition in at the Southside track but feels there are not enough guys coming out.
"There's so many karts on the island but guys are not coming out. We spend a lot of money on tyres and fuel each weekend and if there are only eight guys out it doesn't seem worth it.
"When I go to the States I can race 40 or 50 guys."
Barnes, a fisherman, admits it's an expensive sport and he'd like to get some financial backing to help him race more regularly overseas.
"If I could just get one sponsor, that would be awesome."
