THE longer the delay the more the frustration.

And the delay in getting the new track up and running for the Bermuda Motorcycle Racing Club at Southside is certainly stretching the limits.

In fact the start of the 2003 season looks as if it will not start until 2004...at the very earliest.

David Jones, head of the BMRC, said: "We are still waiting for hierarchy to get things going. I heard that Sports Minister (Dale) Butler said that everything is in place ? that everything is here in Bermuda and ready to go ? but I do not see anything happening. I do not know what the sticking point is. We at the club have been ready to go for a long, long time."

Jones said the riders have been training at the small track at the base in Southampton (Morgan's Point). "We are trying to get the guys back on their bikes ? get them training and get them ready for racing and also trying to keep the club together. I am trying to do my part but everything is taking so long. All that has been put up at Southside is the fence ? the safety equipment is here on the Island ? it is just a matter of getting it put in place and getting this track signed off."

Jones said that the club has picked up about five new members. "That is going well and the guys want to race. We are getting new members. But I wish the track was up and running because we would have had twice as many new members if it was. And also we do not want to lose any riders who may become bored and frustrated by not have a proper track to race on. The club wants to keep on building but it is hard when there is no track and no racing. Basically I need Government to giddy up."

The track in Southampton is small and while it is used for training right now, many riders are put off from it by its size.

"We are hoping that come January the new track will be in place ? but honestly we do not know when the start date will be."

Jones said he knows that Government have been actively pursuing getting the track up and running "but there is nothing going on".

He said: "I don't want to start making a lot of noise about it but to be honest it is frustrating. We were supposed to start in September and here it is December. It is frustrating for us and also the guys who race go karts. People are getting tired, frustrated and fed up."

Sports Minister Dale Butler said: "We are just as upset and aggrieved as he is. The Government are doing everything we can to see that the motor park will open. The money was appropriated, the fencing went up, the expert from overseas that they (the club) agreed that could assist them lay out the track was here and then suddenly when we are about to do things one aspect of the airport found out about it and raised safety concerns."

Butler said that originally there were five concerns. "We thought we had addressed all those five concerns and then a sixth concern came in." He said that it has got to the point that the Governor has become involved because of the airport safety issues.

Butler added that the Minister of Transport, Dr. Ewart Brown, is trying to find an independent body of assessors to look at the airport safety issues "one last time".

He said that everyone is aware that there have been no accidents at the airport since it opened in 1946 "however there has to be due diligence for international standards".

Airport experts have said that "if can you can do anything to avoid putting anything near a runway then don't".

Butler added: "I think they are going to look at that one more time. I know it is frustrating to him (jones) but it is also frustrating to us. From day when I came in (as Sports Minister) we have been working on it."

For nearly two years the BMRC have been feeling the frustration of not having a proper track to race on.

Jones said that the new track would be about 1.2 miles long ? far bigger than the quarter mile track they were previously using in the east end.

Since April 2002 the Bermuda Motorcycle Racing Club have had their bikes "on blocks".

When the track does come on line, Jones said some of the top GP bikes will be able to reach speeds of around 100 mph on some the straightaways. "This new track will be so much better," he said.