THE Bermuda Karting Club will resume action at Southside on Sunday with president Alexander Roque hoping some old hands will come out to give Brandon Frank some serious competition.

Midway through the season Frank, who has been clocked doing 91 mph this year, is the runaway leader.

Said Roque: "Brandon seems to drive off into the sunset and leave everyone else to battle for second."

Frank along with Scott Barnes competed in the American Supernationals in Vegas in November against tough opposition and the pair were unlucky to crash in the final said Roque.

Ten supporters from the Bermuda club were there among a crowd of a couple of thousand to see the action.

"The top 15 drivers in the world were there – mostly from Europe. It was really amazing to watch those guys race in the Super-Pro class and our guys run comparable equipment and be not that far off their times."

Roque added: "Our guys, if they had raced in the Super-Pro class, would have been 18th to 20th place which if you have the top 15 guys in the world there, it's a good result. They are not that far off the pace, they have a lot of promise." Barnes has won races such as the Rock Island Grand Prix street race near Chicago while Frank is likely to do the Stars of Karting series.

"We have had some local drivers who have great success away such as Jason North," said Roque.

Karting can be an expensive hobby but thankfully competitors need not take their own karts – arrive and drive rental deals allow visiting racers to hire a kart and a mechanic for the weekend for around $1,500.

And now Roque hopes Barnes will go toe-toe with Frank on home soil.

"Scott is hopefully going to come out and race in the New Year and give him some competition.

"There are quite a few guys who haven't come out who are planning to finish off the season with us in the new year. They might be out on Sunday."

Of the other riders he said David Barbosa is doing really well with some new equipment and "Seon Smith and Jason Correia have been battling all season over each heat. That's been the best battle on the track between those two."

Around 15 drivers are enjoying a different track layout at Southside which makes the weekly battles a lot more interesting. "You never get used to the track, it's always a new challenge every week."

The club hope to begin a junior club this year with plans to buy ten karts in the coming weeks. They will be hired out to primary and middle schools students who will learn the sport in a safe environment.

"I started karting 11 years ago when I was 14-years-old – it kept me out of trouble as a kid," said Roque.

In its heyday the club had up to 400 members and people flocked to watch races on Front Street. Now there are about 70 members with around 25 still active during a season.

"When we lost our track a few years back a lot of people got out of it and got into other hobbies. They haven't returned as fast as they got out. That's why we are hoping to get this youth programme started up and get more interest."

Top quality karts can cost up to $6,000 but used karts can be bought from the US for a couple of thousand.

The high horsepower, low weight shifter class gets through tyres virtually every race while the stock class are easy-to-operate and low maintenance.

"You don't have to rebuild the engines very often, the tyres last considerably longer. It's a much more economical class and tons of fun because the competition is so tight. That is what we are trying to push."

Machines cost between $4-6,000. "The initial cost is up there but it's much cheaper in the long run."

The club also has some exciting plans for 2009, said Roque. "We are trying to work on a some international drivers come down. We met a lot of top guys who are interested in coming to Bermuda."