Bermuda Karting Team To Race In New Orleans
[Written by Stephen Wright]
Scott Barnes says his Bermuda karting teammates must adopt a strong mentality to outlast their rivals at the SimCraft 24 Hours of Nola in New Orleans on Saturday.
Barnes will lead a team named Bermuda Triangle including compatriots David Barbosa, David Selley, Marc Tucker and American Alex Mayer in what promises to be a race of attrition at the Nola Motorsports Park in Avondale, Louisiana.
The race features a traditional Le Mans-style start, with drivers from more than 30 teams sprinting across the track to their karts, with the outfit completing the most laps in 24 hours claiming victory.
“The key to a race like this is survival,” Barnes told Bernews. “You don’t want to go racing side by side with somebody.
“You want to make the kart last for 24 hours. You don’t want to be jumping concrete curbs because this track is brutal. You need to take care of the kart.”
Barnes, Selley and Mayer were part of a combined Bermuda-US team at the previous race, the SimCraft 24 Hours of Orlando in 2020, finishing second in the Masters class and seventh overall.
Barbosa, too, has endurance racing experience, having represented a Bermudian team including Barnes and Selley at the 24 Hours of Italy in Adria, northern Italy, three years ago.
“We’re pretty experienced now,” said Barnes, whose team will be up against about a dozen others in the Masters class. “When we raced in Italy, were all so hyped up and anxious most of us never slept during the 24 hours, which was dumb looking back.
“We learned from that when David and I raced in Orlando. We slept in my truck and got power naps between our stints which was crucial.
“We have an RV that we’re all staying in at the track, so we should be able to get some good rest.
“We’ve got way better communication in our helmets, so we’ll be able to talk to each other on the track.
“We learn every time we do one of these races. We’ve also got a spare motor and spare parts this time around.”
Barnes is adamant Bermuda Triangle can place first in their class and overall if they combine speed, patience, strategy and consistency.
“We want to win,” said Barnes, who heads to New Orleans with the local-based drivers on Tuesday. “That’s our goal. We feel as though we have a pretty strong team. In a 24-hour race, you need a bit of luck on your side.”
The 37-year-old is already the island’s most decorated driver, winning three overseas titles, most notably the Skusa Superkarts USA Pro Tour in 2020; however, he admits nothing beats the thrill of racing internationally as part of a Bermudian team.
“These 24-hour races are an emotional rollercoaster, the highs and the lows, but to have your friends and teammates with you the whole time, is a lot of fun,” said Barnes, whose team will drive L206 Margay Ignite karts.
“My goal is to get as many Bermudians to experience international competition. It’s great that we have four guys going this year. Maybe next year we can get two teams.”
With each kart carrying one gallon of fuel and teams having to make a minimum of four pitstops, Barnes said race strategy will be vital to calculating when to refuel.
“Testing will be crucial to see how far we can push one gallon of fuel,” said Barnes, who is the only team member to have previously raced at the venue.
“Pitstops are based on how much you can get out of that gallon.
“Weight is also a factor because kart and driver have to make a minimum weight each time you come off the track.
“Myself, David and Marc are a similar weight while Barbosa is the heaviest.
“We’ll need to take all of the weight off the kart when he’s racing and put it back on during the pitstop when the other guys take over. You want to base your order of drivers on what weight needs to come on and off the kart each pitstop.”
