a visit, government calls the United Nations asking for a no-fly zone to be placed over the country's, well, roads.

Jones, a motorcycle racing driver now plying his trade in Daytona Beach, Florida, is Bermuda's most famous Roads Scholar. The flashing blue lights of police cruisers were never far behind when he used the narrow, twisting and sometimes dangerous roads of Bermuda to perfect his road racing techniques.

Eight times -- in a span of five years -- he lost his license for exceeding Bermuda's 20 miles-per-hour speed limit, sometimes by more than 60 miles-per-hour. Driving 70 or 80 miles-per-hour on his beat-up 100cc Suzuki with the word `Ninja' splashed on both sides was not uncommon for Jones, who once missed a treacherous turn on North Shore Road in Flatts and fell off a cliff. He broke his leg, foot and finger. He was driving 70 miles-per-hour.

"I was being chased by the police and a bus was coming around the corner,'' said Jones. "The only thing I could do was go off the road. The policeman was crying. He thought I was dead.'' Even the accident failed to slow down Jones's trademark bursts of kinetic energy. But the mending of broken bones convinced him to leave Bermuda and attend the California Superbike Racing School near Atlanta that would put him on a fast track to a professional career. "I had to leave because I was getting into too much trouble, or I was going to kill myself,'' he said.

At the school, Jones turned speeds on a 600cc motorbike competitive to what experts ran on a much faster 750cc equipment. Diploma in hand, Jones moved to Florida where he placed himself close to his idea of Nirvana, steps away from Daytona Speedway and only a four-hour sprint from Moroso Park in Savannah, Georgia.

On Sunday, the 27-year-old won the Lightweight Superbike at Roebling Road Speedway near Savannah, bringing it all together in the late-afternoon breezes, beating British racer David Hardy in an eight-lap race on his RZ Yamaha 350 that is capable of speeds in excess of 120 miles-per-hour. It was his first victory, driving home a validation of sheer will power and style which includes hard work. The win also took away the sting of years of speeding tickets, over $10,000 worth he estimates.

"It was the ultimate,'' said Jones, talking about the race as if it was a spiritual mission, or demonic pursuit. "All I was thinking about was trying to finish. Usually I'm thinking about trying to win, trying to beat the guys ahead of me. But that's when I get into trouble. On Sunday I was relaxed and confident.'' Mechanical problems abruptly unplugged his chance at a second victory in the evening race and Jones headed back to Florida with his American-born wife, Carrie. Bad luck followed them southward on Interstate-95 when their car caught fire and turned a four-hour ride into a 12-hour nightmare.

The charred remains of the car failed to dampen the excitement of his maiden victory. But the loss of the car means Jones will have to postpone racing for a couple of months until the repair bills can be paid or a new car can be purchased.

The pursuit of his passion has resulted in a combination of pain and sacrifice, which amateur racers are keenly familiar with. The couple live in a modest one-bedroom apartment and Carrie helps pay the bills with secretarial work.

"Money is sort of tight right now,'' he said, finishing the sentence as if it were a long exhale of a drag from a cigarette. "But I get a lot of support from my wife. She has kept her nerves.'' Never far from the road, the street-smart Jones is employed by a road paving company where he works the night shift and is rarely home before 1 a.m. He knows a professional career as a racer is not likely unless he can secure a sponsor with a bulging wallet. Competing in the race on the weekend required sleeping in the car at the speedway. Just getting the bike in operating form for races requires a sleight-of-hand worthy of card shark.

Jones grew up in Warwick and Devonshire, attending Prospect Primary School and then Warwick Secondary School. His father fueled his love for racing when he would come home each night on a menacing black Triumph. Before long he was collecting racing magazines and reading about his heroes Wayne Rainey or Scott Russell.

"I saw my dad on that bike and I knew that is what I wanted to do,'' he said.

Jones is one of the few black riders competiting in American Motorcycle Association events, something he thinks will work to his advantage. "I hope that helps me advance quicker,'' he said. "It helps because it makes me stand out. I look at that as a major advantage.'' His current mentor, Don Beardslee, is hoping to find a permanent sponsor for him soon so that Jones will be able to focus all his attention on racing.

"He's fast,'' said Beardslee. "He can go. He's a natural talent, and looks so graceful on a bike. He makes it look so easy. If he can get on with some of the big teams, next year could be a helluva year for him.'' Jones's helter-skelter style means that he will not allow anyone drive him anywhere; he does not have the patience for slow-paced drivers.

He describes driving a motorcycle at breakneck speeds akin to continually hitting a pocket of air on an airplane. "When you're able to fly on that thing,'' he said. "It is a real blast. But when you get used to it, it still isn't fast enough.'' In the meantime Jones will continue his race against the clock towards a professional career.

TURNING A CORNER -- Last Sunday, Bermudian David Jones won the Lightweight Superbike race at Roebling Road Speedway near Savannah, Georgia. Jones now lives in Daytona Beach, Florida, where he someday hopes to turn professional.