The Bermuda Karting Club slipped into top gear for two good causes this week.

The club raised $1,170 for the hurricane relief fund in the wake of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, which destroyed homes and flattened islands in the Caribbean.

The cash will be donated to the Antilles Episcopal Conference, an organisation of Bishops in the Caribbean, and will go towards re-establishing a fresh water supply in the region.

Drivers contributed during the last race day and their total was matched by the club and the Barbosa family, who run the rental karts.

Energetic members also got out and about for a tag day, working in conjunction with the club’s main sponsor Rubis, to raise $1,200 for Bermuda Autism Support and Education.

The initial $700 raised from members of the public was bumped up to the final total by the BKC.

The family spirit inside the club spurred on the fundraising efforts and club president Scott “Skitchy” Barnes says they are actively seeking out potential new drivers.

“We have a new LO206 Seniors class, which features a closed-motor, and we have two new drivers in that,” he said. “We welcome any drivers that want to come down.

He added: “We are in talks with having another street race this season and next year, sometime before May.

“It’s a good showcase for us — a lot of people have got into the sport through the street races.”

Meanwhile, last weekend’s race day featured standout performances from both Jason “Skuzzie” North and Ryan Burgess.

North tore it up in the TAG Senior class, winning all three heats to sit top of the overall standings ahead of young buck Blake Horseman.

Burgess did the same in the TAG Junior and leads that category from Ashley Horseman.

Elsewhere, Ryan Rebello chalked up two impressive wins in the Stock Honda Shifter class to close the gap to leader Ryan Lopes at the top of the overall standings.

And in the LO206 Masters, Bobby DeCosta enjoyed his Sunday with two wins to haul himself into the title mix. Travis Lewis still leads that class overall from Jeff Sousa.

In the Cadet Class, the honours were shared out between the three drivers in arguably the most keenly contested division. Nile Bean, Jacob Hind and Nathan DeCosta all claimed a heat win, although it is Bean who still leads the championship standings.

For more information on how to get involved and what the club offers, e-mail bermudakartingclub@yahoo.com or go to the club’s Facebook page. Alternatively, call Scott Barnes on 505-1611.

See tomorrow’s Royal Gazette for more on the potential 2017-18 street race