Chris Wallington's need for speed and the backing of a group of sponsors have resurrected the young Bermudian's dream of joining the ranks of the world's top motorcycle racers.

The sheer expense of competing in the US had led the 23-year-old from Southampton to all but give up on his ambitions of becoming a professional factory rider for a major motorcycle manufacturer.

And despite early success -- in 1998 he finished third in the Grand Prix singles in the Florida and South East Region Championship Cup Series (CCS) -- it seemed Wallington would have to nip his promising racing career in the bud.

But 15 months after he last raced in the US, he is preparing to go back to the track as three Island businesses have offered him financial backing.

Dunkley's Dairies, Mailboxes Unlimited and Capcar Enterprises have stumped up some of the estimated $92,000 he needs to race for a full year. In addition, he is hopeful of clinching deals with three more companies.

Wallington is looking for a total of between $30-35,000 from various sponsors, while such is his passion for the sport that he is prepared to dig deep into his earnings from the construction company he runs with his brother Nick Wallington to find the other $60,000 from his own pocket.

"After three years of fighting for sponsors, people have finally decided to help me and when I realised I had enough to go racing again, I broke down in tears,'' said Wallington yesterday. "I thought my dream had died, but in the year and three months since I last raced in the States it's been in my mind every day.

"It means so much to me that I'm willing to put every penny I earn into it.

Just for that small time on the track, it's all worthwhile. I don't know of any sport that people can get so passionate about.'' Wallington's talent, displayed at venues including the world-famous Daytona track, had attracted several potential US sponsors. But US law prevented him, as a Bermudian, from accepting their backing. So he had to seek domestic sponsors.

Now, fired up with fresh enthusiasm, Wallington is preparing to return to the track in a CCS race at Homested, Florida, on December 2. Although he can hardly wait, Wallington knows it will not be a case of picking up where he left off.

"It took a lot of work to get to the level I was at and when I left I was at my most competitive,'' said Wallington. "Now I will have to start at the beginning again and work very hard.'' In his most recent races, Wallington was handicapped by an underpowered bike, a 125 racing against 250s, and a low budget for maintenance.

The latter factor had been the key to him putting his racing career on hold 15 months ago after his last race at Homested.

"I was going round one of the fastest corners in the US where you can really lean over and push your traction to the limit,'' said Wallington.

"I was so close to the ground I could drag my elbow on the asphalt. I was pushing hard on the foot pedal, when the rear-set which holds it in place snapped off through metal fatigue.

"That was because my bike was in a poor state because I didn't have the money to maintain it well. The mechanic told me that the front wheel was one-and-a-half inches out of alignment with the rear wheel. That was when I thought I could not go on like that.'' Things will be different now, however. Wallington's US-based manager John Parris is in the process of buying a new Honda RS250 to race in the 250 Grand Prix class next year.

The rider aims to compete in up to 18 races in the 2001 season, 13 at the CCS semi-pro level in the Expert class, and five at professional level -- two North American Sport Bike (NASB) races and three races against the cream of US riders, at American Motorcycle Association (AMA) level.

"It's strictly qualifiers only for the AMA level,'' said Wallington, "but I'm confident I'll be able to produce the speed necessary to make it.'' His ultimate aim is one day to earn himself a job as a factory rider, where he would enjoy the huge financial backing of a motorcycle manufacturer.

Comeback Kid: Bermudian motorcyclist Chris Wallington, who will restart his racing career in the US, thanks to the backing of new sponsors.