top engine tuners in US motorcycle racing when he takes to the track in Florida this week.

And the young Bermudian rider hopes that help from crack mechanic Paul Ricco will push him closer to his dream of landing a job as a factory rider with one of the leading teams.

Wallington will compete in the professional ranks at Moroso, West Palm Beach, at the weekend and it was at the same venue last month that he first met Ricco, in extraordinary circumstances.

Ricco, who works on machines raced by the fastest riders in the US including Chuck Sorensen, offered his help after Wallington's 250cc Yamaha had seized up in mid-race twice in successive days.

After the second breakdown, Ricco had walked into Wallington's pits, told him what he thought was wrong with the bike and proceeded to take it apart, before the Southampton 24-year-old even knew who he was.

Wallington was in fourth place at the time his bike broke down on a tight bend, which requires riders to break from speeds of 140 miles per hour to 40 miles per hour within seconds to negotiate it.

"It was like someone put a concrete block in front of me, but I managed to stay on and save the bike,'' said Wallington.

"It was disappointing pulling into the pit lane when I was sure I could have finished third.

"Then Paul walked into the pits said he had heard the bike and thought it could have used a bit more tweaking.

"He did not introduce himself. Then he started stripping my bike and I thought, `What is this guy doing'?'' Ricco works for Factory Dino, tuning some of the world's fastest racing bikes and he offered his help to Wallington for the next race.

Wallington felt it was more than a coincidence and suspected factory team scouts may have had their eye on him.

The rider believed that the only way he could truly be compared against his better-backed professional rivals was if he had comparably prepared equipment.

And that was where Ricco came in.

"At this level, it's so much about bike set-up and planning,'' said Wallington. "The finicky mechanical adjustments, I just did not think were that relevant.

"Now I am learning how relevant they are. That extra quarter of a horsepower or slight change in the suspension can make a big difference.

"Paul is coming with us for the whole weekend and it's going to cost a bit of money to bring him down. But he will be stripping my bike for no cost and I really don't know why. Paul told me my bike was running at about 60 percent of what it should be and he could not believe I was doing the lap times I did on a bike in such a poor state.

"It will be great to know this mechanic will be helping me get the most out of my bike and hopefully that will get me closer to a ride with a factory team.'' Factory riders are highly paid to test and race the latest newly developed racing bikes produced by the world's major manufacturers, such as Yamaha and Honda.

Chris Wallington: The Island's leading motorcycle racer will team up with top mechanic Paul Ricco for a professional event in West Palm Beach, Florida, this weekend.