Bermudian 600cc Superbike racer Antoine Richards will resume his quest for a first Champions Cup Series (CCS) win when the green flag is waved at this weekend's Jennings GP in Florida.

Like compatriots Toriano Wilson and Jevaughn Simons, 20-year-old Richards has also set himself high standards this year and is confident he can achieve his goal of acquiring pro status competing in the US in the near future.

"The quality of the riders are only slightly better than what I'm used to from racing back home. It's the quality of the bikes, level of tuning, adjusting to the much higher speeds and the much larger fields of bikes that are the big difference," Richards told The Royal Gazette.

"But when you take these factors out, Bermudian riders can roll with the best of them. Toriano (Wilson) is a great example of this."

Richards' best finish to date competing in the US in the 600cc Superbike class arrived last year as a rookie at the Homestead Miami Speedway where he placed a highly respectable fifth.

This year the former Warwick Academy student has already compiled three top-ten finishes and tomorrow hopes to at least break even - or go better.

"I want to win a few races this season and finish in the top five in my class, " he declared. "And so far I'm close to reaching some of my goals."

Richards, who is sponsored locally by Trent Contsruction Consulting and Consol Distribution, says pre-race preparations for this weekend have so far been "pretty good".

"I've been getting a lot of rest, trying to eat good and working on my cardiovascular. Racing a Superbike is a lot more physically demanding than most people think and losing focus for a split second can literally mean life or death," he said.

"I have never competed at the Jennings GP before but have been told that I should enjoy it because it suits my riding style. Looking back I have had good results in my first races at new tracks and so I'm really looking forward to this one."

Earlier this year Richards' compatriots Wilson and Simons put the Island on the map with solid performances in the US.

To date Wilson has logged the fastest laps at two seperate Red Bull Rookies Cup events while Simons took the chequered flag last month competing at the WERA Bridgestone National Endurance and Michelin National Challenge Sprints in Georgia.

"I think the success that Toriano, Jevaughn and I are starting to achieve here in the US can be directly linked to our start in Bermuda with the BMRC (Bermuda Motorcycle Racing Club)," Richards said.

"Bermudians are naturally good riders and the BMRC has and will continue to turn good riders into potential world champions."