Bermuda professional motorcycle racer, Antoine Richards, has flown off the Island for a week's training in Florida before competing in Atlanta next weekend.

Richards, who made his professional debut earlier this year at the famed Daytona International Speedway, will also be sporting new riding gear when he competes in the American Motorcycle Association's Supersport class next weekend at the Road Atlanta competition.

"I should be getting new gear and I have a sponsor in Heroic Racing Leathers", he said. "They are doing Bermuda themed racing gear for me. We will have the flag, of course, as well as colours which will be more Island flavoured."

Richards had a baptism by fire in his first pro race at Daytona when he crashed but bounced back in style to finish 12th in the second race on his Suzuki GSX-R 600 cc bike.

Richards has been signed to the Celtic Race Team who often land the up and coming stars and he and American team-mate PJ Jacobsen and the whole team will be going to the Jennings GP track in Florida for training this week before going to Atlanta for the race.

The Jennings track in north Florida is two miles of twisted black asphalt with 14 turns and was professionally built to racing specifications and designed by the renowned Ed Bargy.

"We will all be there and I am really looking for to it," said Richards of the training in Florida.

Unlike many of the his peers after racing at Daytona Richards had to return to Bermuda.

He said: "It is tough to do a race and then have to come back here. My competition is out there between races doing track days and small races whereas I have to come back and sit on my hands until the next race. But until I can secure more sponsorship that is what I have to do."

Richards said he has raced at the Atlanta track twice before when he was an amateur.

"It is an excellent track and there will be a number of events going on," he said. "It is one of the top tracks in North America."

Road Atlanta was carved out of the red Georgia clay on a 750 acre Hall County plot of land in 1969. What was once a farmer's field is now a world class motorsports facility, rich in history and tradition.

For more than 40 years, Road Atlanta has been a destination location for top tier sports car and motorcycle racing.