Twelve members of Bermuda Motorcycle Racing Club are about to fly overseas to compete against some of North America's top riders.

Having accepted an invitation to take part in next month's Canadian Super Bike Weekend in Nova Scotia, Canada from North American Motorcycle Union president Marilyn Bastedo, the local contingent are convinced they can keep pace with their US counterparts.

Bastedo visited the local club when it was in its fledgling stages several years ago.

Representing the BMRC will be Daron and Alex Dowling, Raymond Thompson, Patrick Greoning, Billy Dunn, Josonne Manning-Smith, Raymond (Patch) Masters, Dennis (Chicken) Wilson, Grant Chelsea Goudge, David Jones and Abel and Kyle Pimental.

The local riders will depart for Canada on August 3 and will compete in the 125 GP class over ten days at the Atlantic Moto Sport Park.

Spokesman for the party, Goudge, said he was delighted with the invitation since it marked the first occasion that all of local riders would be competing under one banner.

"This is the first opportunity that we've had as a club to compete and match ourselves against riders from other countries," said Goudge.

"Once we have gone over and established contacts and proven our capabilities it will start the ball rolling with an exchange of riders coming over here when our new moto sports facility hopefully opens later this year."

Goudge added that although some riders had already been overseas on several occasions to watch events, this would be the first time that any of them had actually competed abroad.

He also noted that despite the fact that he and his colleagues had been inactive on the local circuit since the end of the local season in March, he was confident they would perform well.

"We are handicapped in the fact that we all have to set our bikes up and learn the track, whereas obviously local (Canadian) riders and people who have been there before will have some advantage in that regard.

"But I also think that we have some good levels of skill in the club and all of the riders have raced 125s for at least a year. I think that we will be competitive and obviously we will be over the moon if we come away on the podium. But we will get riders in the top ten."

Goudge also had praise for the club's various sponsors, Bermuda Container Lines, Bermuda Forwarders, Colonial Insurance and Bermuda Government, whom he said had "bent over backwards" to help offset the costs for the overseas venture.