Karting's Dockyard spectacular

A Dockyard thriller will be the centrepiece of the new 16-race karting season, which gets under way on Sunday at Bermuda Motor Sports Park.

The new addition to the calender has been slated for November 9-10 and will see drivers put pedal to the metal around the clocktower.

Bermuda Karting Club hope the race — which is still seeking a sponsor — will attract fans and pave the way for a return to the hugely-popular Hamilton event.

Scott ‘Skitchy’ Barnes told the Bermuda Sun: “We did it in Hamilton for four years — the last was in 2002. Back in the day we’d get anything from 5,000 to 10,000 spectators.

“So we’re hoping to get some spectators and hope it will be a step in the door to get back in Hamilton.”

He added: “We lost our track and the club died for a couple of years but its  rebuilt over the past eight years to have enough karts to make it worthwhile. 

“Plus, we now also have the money to put it on.”

The new format this season will see five trophy days form a separate series to run alongside the Championship.

The first four, including this Sunday’s trophy day, are to be run as a double-header with the Bermuda Motorcylce Racing Club.

Barnes said: “There will be a lot of trophies this year to race for.

“We’re hoping everyone comes out and we get a couple more [drivers]. 

“We also have a junior programme that we run, which is awesome.

“The club has six junior karts for rent for each race day, so if juniors want to come down and tryout and  the parents don’t want the expense of buying a kart, you can come down for $50, wear jeans and jacket and  have a tryout for the day and get three races.

“We had a couple of kids that have gone through the programme and they have their own karts now, that’s the meaning behind the programme.”

Three of the trophy days are still available for sponsorship at a cost of $400-450.

Interested companies or people seeking more info can email [email protected],  [email protected] or go to Bermuda Karting Club’s Facebook page. 

Sunday’s doubleheader costs $5 admission, $10 pit pass, while children 12 and under and seniors get in free. The action gets under way at 12pm.