Karting Street Race Set To Take Place In April
[Written by Stephen Wright]
Karting is set to return to the streets of Hamilton with the high-speed action promising to be more thrilling than ever before.
That is the view of Scott Barnes, the Bermuda Karting Club president, who revealed the exciting plans this week after receiving the green light from the Corporation of Hamilton.
The race, scheduled for the weekend of April 22, will be staged in north-east Hamilton and will be the first street race in six years.
“We’re full steam ahead now,” Barnes told Bernews. “Plans were in place to reintroduce street racing to the karting calendar before Covid-19 struck and shut everything down. It’s been a dream for a while, and now it’s finally coming to fruition.”
Barnes, the island’s top driver, believes the new circuit, which will include Court Street, Dundonald Street and Princess Street, will be more conducive to overtaking and could attract the biggest crowd so far.
“We’ve had karting races in Dockyard and Front Street, but this will be a completely different track,” he said.
“Front Street was great, but this will have a different feel. The last time we had a karting race in Hamilton ([in 2014] it attracted thousands. Hopefully, the new track will attract an even bigger crowd than the other races.
“It will be a better track, a wider track, and, hopefully, it encourages more exciting racing.”
More than 30 drivers, including from three overseas, are expected to enter the street race, according to Barnes.
Street racing returned to the BKC calendar with the Hamilton Grand Prix in 2014. It was the first street race in 12 years.
The race moved to Dockyard the following year and was held in the West End from 2015 to 2017.
Looking forward to the racing