The spirit of racing is strong in Bermuda Karting Club’s newest recruit Simos Charalambous.

The 34-year-old from Cyprus admits, though, that it is a steep learning curve down at the Southside Rubis Raceway in St David’s, especially now he owns a kart.

“The guys in the club are really helpful, giving me tips what I should do and not do,” said Charalambous, who will race in the club’s new LO206 (senior) class on Sunday.

“I went there the first race day Sunday. I had my kart there, just standing looking at me. And everyone was working on their karts, with their mechanics and I was just standing there, looking around! I had no clue, it was a bit nerve-racking. But Scott [Barnes] and Travis [Lewis] and everybody help the newbies.”

Charalambous, who works as an actuary for Equator Re, is not exactly a novice, however. He first got behind the wheel when he was 11 years old and has raced rental karts on and off in his homeland and in London, where he worked for ten years before moving to Bermuda 14 months ago.

He is happy to lead the charge as the club looks to entice new drivers into the closed-motor LO206 class. At the moment he races with club president Scott “Skitchy” Barnes, while another new driver is poised to sign up.

“It’s a small class,” Charalambous said. “We’re trying to grow it. A friend of mine might be joining so we are trying to raise the awareness and get more people involved.

“Obviously the more the better. A full grid would be fantastic. The main thing with the LO206 is that it’s one of the cheapest classes to maintain.

“You can’t adjust the engine so it pretty much goes down to the driver’s skill, so it’s a good class for a newbie.”

As well as doing his bit to help grow the club, Charalambous has his sights set on improving his on-track performance after deciding while watching the past Dockyard Grand Prix that the time had come to commit to the sport.

“In the kart, there is room for improvement,” he said. “I think the more seat time you get, the better you’ll become.

“Obviously, the class is small, so I’m always on the podium no matter what! Hopefully, we’ll grow the club.

“My ambition is to improve my competitiveness. It would be good to challenge some of the more experienced guys.”

He added: “If new drivers join then the expectations will be higher. If you’re racing and you’re not going for the win, then you’re not really racing. That’s the spirit.”