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Bike racing is back with a bang this weekend as the Bermuda Motorcycle Racing Club pays tribute to three of its fallen heroes.

The new season will be launched with Champions Day - a tribute to riders Toriano Wilson, Marvin 'Skinny' Robinson and Kyle Pimentel.

All three were well-loved members of the racing community and some time national champions.

Wilson, the golden child of Bermuda racing, was competing on the Red Bull rookies circuit in Viriginia when he was killed on the track last summer. The 14-year-old had been tipped as a future pro.

Marvin 'Skinny' Robinson, who had held the 600cc Superbike title, died after an accident in a practice session at the Clearwater track in 2007, and Pimantel, a former GP 125 champ, died in 2007 after a long battle with cancer.

Dave Jones, president of the Bermuda Motorcycle Racing Club, said Sunday's race day was not about being sad, but would be a celebration of their lives.

"We don't want people to feel down. It is a joyful thing to recognize the accomplishments and the impact they had on us during their time with us. We want people to come down there and feel uplifted by what these three champions contributed to our sport."

The event will feature the first two races of the season in each class.

The final races in the 80cc class, which Wilson was a champion, the 600cc class, which Robinson won and the GP125 class, which Pimentel won, will also be memorial trophy races in their honour.

"It's basically a tribute to champions," said Paul DeCouto, the club's PR officer and current 600cc champion. We're talking about three great people here and we want to be happy that we had them for the short time they were with us."

First in the series

Sunday's race day will also be the first of this season's Championship series, with a number of titles on the line in various different classes. DeCouto said he was confident of retaining his 600cc title - the premier class for senior riders - despite a change in the rules to level the playing field.

The BMRC has followed the lead of the American Motorcyclist Association and restricted its riders to one set of tyres per race day.

"That should level things up a bit and make for tighter racing," said Jones.

"We want to make it about who is the best rider not who has a sponsor or the money available for two sets of tyres every week.

"The majority of our riders don't have the money to do that and we want to make it more of a level playing field."

DeCouto, one of the few riders with the means to replace his tyres after every race, said he was okay with the change.

"At the end of the day we want closer, more exciting racing for the fans. My view anyway is that it is about the rider not the bike. I'll be aiming to prove that this year."

And he threw down the gauntlet to his rival Shannon Caisey, who he pipped to the title by two points last year, to take the same attitude.

"Shannon isn't happy about it but we are challenging him to put his money where his mouth is and race with us in the 600cc class again this season."

Jones will also be racing in the class and expects to be competitive along with the likes of Steven Paynter.

The GP 125s, featuring some of the island's top young talent like Andrew DeCosta, Bruce DeGrilla and Toriano's brother Keanu Wilson, who may also ride in the 600cc class, and the formula class, with Ed Cook stepping in to compete, are also expected to be competitive.

"The junior classes are going to be interesting too," added Jones. We've got a lot of good young riders and we're looking forward to a great season."

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