The Bermuda Motorcycle Racing Club’s youth division, Spark, took nine young racers to Willow Springs International Raceway in California, the oldest permanent road course in the United States, for a weekend of training and competition last week.

Keimari Burchall, Nathaniel Binega-Northcott, Aiden Lopes, Sheun Simmons, Jediah Cumbermack, Norre Robinson, Kymaree Pitt, Aeziah Divine, and Ryan Chequer trained in the M1GP Road Racing Association’s riding clinic. The training was followed by a day of open practice paired with their first Endurance Race. The third day consisted of a full official race day for the M1GP’s round 3 of their local race series.

Young Lee, Director of M1GP, said: “Maturity and focus level were different for each rider and we tried to manage expectations and focus. Overall, this was a fantastic experience for M1GP, our local racers, and hopefully for our guests who experienced just a taste of what we have to offer.

“Each of the Bermudian riders were very impressive during the practices and races and the potential for each is so great.”

The nine Bermudian racers participated in five of the seven race classes of the day with many going into multiple classes and pushing their limits on larger and more advanced motorcycles. Several boys raced on bikes that they had never trained on prior to the race and succeeded in maintaining their reputations as ambitious rising racers.

The group captured many podium-place finishes, including early wins on the Saturday by Keimari Burchall and Nathaniel Binega-Northcott who secured a solid second place win with their team for the two-hour Endurance Race where they teamed up with California-based young female racer Jasmine Nichols on her mini moto Kayo 125cc motorcycle.

Last Sunday’s race day saw wins by more group members, including Norre Robinson who secured two first place finishes in his two races in the 50 Cup. It was Robinson’s first official race of his young career, making it an even bigger personal achievement for him.

Jediah Cumbermack took home a second place win in the same class. Cumbermack is the BMRC’s newest racer, only joining the Youth Riding Clinic last summer. He is quickly joining the ranks and is proving to be a top competitor in his debut season.