Karter Scott Barnes was left ecstatic after finishing third at the prestigious SKUSA Super Nationals XXV series in Las Vegas.

Competing among a stellar line-up with drivers from around the world in the Master Shifter category, the 37-year-old endured a frustrating time in qualifying, finishing eleventh of the 41-kart field, whuch left him stuck on the sixth row of the starting grid for each of the three heats on Saturday.

But, despite that setback, Barnes responded strongly to claim an impressive fourth-place finish in the opening heat before going on to secure ninth and tenth in the remaining races.

Those good performances resulted in Barnes starting the showpiece final from fourth on the grid and he capitalised on his encouraging position on the second row, getting off to a strong start before overtaking Jonathan Vitolo on the fourth lap of 20, to move into third.

From there, the Bermudian managed to hold his position, crossing the line in 14min 9.2sec, slightly less than five seconds adrift of race winner Antonio Pizzonia Jr, a former Formula 1 driver with Jaguar and Williams, with Alan Sciuto taking second.

"The goal was to come here and try and get on the podium and that's exactly what we managed to do," said Barnes. I'm delighted to have got on the podium among a really strong field, which included former professionals.

"This is one of the biggest events in North America with drivers from 60 countries racing and more than 600 in total. It's one of the most prestigious races and so to take home a top-three finish in a very stacked field is just really exciting, I'm just ecstatic.

"I couldn't have done it without my team, including Jeff Souza who helped me work on the kart which was vital. This trophy will definitely sit very proudly on my trophy wall."

While it proved a memorable trip for Barnes, it was ultimately a disappointing one for compatriot Jason North, who failed to finish among the 48-field of the KA100 MS division.