After a 12-week pause in domestic competition, Barbados’ top karting talent is gearing up to return to the track this Sunday, September 20, as the Barbados Karting Association’s (BKA) Sectus Technologies Championship kicks off its fifth round at Bushy Park. This event comes fresh off the regional Nations Cup Caribbean hosted last month in Trinidad and Tobago, where the Barbados national team claimed an impressive second-place finish overall, just behind the host nation.
Leading the charge for local hopefuls in this weekend’s round is 14-year-old rising star Aeden Bruce, who turned heads at the Nations Cup with an standout individual performance. Bruce was the only competitor across all participating nations to complete every one of the tournament’s six races, a feat that saw him secure three podium placements and three additional top-five results. His consistent performance earned him second place in the individual overall standings, outperforming every other visiting driver and finishing only behind Trinidad and Tobago’s Jonathan Sharam, who took the top individual spot. Already crowned the 2025 BKA 100cc champion, Bruce now makes his debut season in the more competitive Easykart 125cc category, where he currently sits third in the standings heading into round five. He is chasing two more experienced drivers: current leader Aaron Blackett and former champion Jacob Mayers, who hold the first and second positions respectively. However, Mayers will not return for the remainder of the 2025 season, as he has relocated overseas to pursue higher education, opening up a spot for competitors like Bruce to climb the rankings.
Bruce is not the only member of Barbados’ Nations Cup squad looking to advance their standings this weekend. Jordyn Hinkson and Jaylan Priddee, both of whom represented their country at the regional event, currently occupy second and third place in the Easykart 100cc class, trailing current leader Jaydn Brathwaite as they push to close the points gap.
In the tightly contested Easykart 60cc Cadets division, Edward Norris holds both the class lead and the top spot in the overall Champion Driver title race, with two other Cadets class drivers ranking in the overall top six. Sitting second in the class and fourth overall is Ava Mayers, who made history for the BKA back in April this year. Mayers became the first female karting driver in the association’s 40-year history to finish as the highest points-scorer in an official championship round, breaking a long-standing gender barrier in Barbados karting. Rounding out the top five overall standings is Finn Cox, who claims third place in the Cadets class and fifth in the overall hunt for the Champion Driver title.
With seven of the season’s eight total races now completed after this weekend’s round, competitors are gearing up for a tight push to the season finale, with multiple titles still up for grabs across all classes.