Scott Barnes got off to an impressive start in his Skusa National Pro Tour Series campaign at the NOLA Motorsports Park in New Orleans.

Competing in the highly competitive Masters Shifters class, the 36-year-old kicked off proceedings with a podium place, finishing second in the opening round.

Building on that momentum, he went one better in the second round a day later, taking the chequered flag to lay down an early marker in the six-round series.

“I’m really happy with the weekend as a whole; it’s a great way to kick off the Pro Tour,” Barnes said.

“To come away with two podiums from two finals is a really great personal achievement. The track is very physical and they were hard laps with the kart jumping concrete kerbs; it was hard going.

“There was also some really tough opposition, so all the finals proved a real battle. In one of the finals, me and another driver kept switching position to lead, so it was a real tussle.

“The aim was to get on the podium and ultimately to come away with a win. To have got that victory is massive for me.

“I think I should either have the overall points lead or at least be very close. That gives me huge confidence going forward, especially knowing I can beat the competition I’m up against.”

Despite an impressive display to claim a second-place finish overall in the Skusa Winter Tour Championship in Florida last month, Barnes was left disappointed not to have taken top honours.

In an attempt to go one better this time around, the Bermudian racer opted to compete on a new chassis in New Orleans and left feeling his decision was ultimately vindicated

“Having the new chassis was good,” he added. “It will take some time to be 100 per cent happy with it, but ultimately it’s a better chassis than I was on before and it made a big difference, for sure.”

Barnes will resume his quest for glory when the series returns with the third and fourth rounds in Utah from May 21 to 23.

While he finds himself in a strong position in the standings, Barnes conceded he has work to ahead of the next round, with the Utah Motorsports Campus track remaining unknown territory.

“Utah is a track I’ve never been to, so that will be a steep learning curve,” he said. “I’ve never even seen it, so I’ll stepping completely into the unknown.

“It will be a case of having to watch some videos and researching the track to try and gain some knowledge prior to the race the best I can.”