BANK Holiday rain might have brought its customary sporting curse to the latest national drag-racing meeting, but there was still a gleam of sunlight for Brad Jackson.

The 14-year-old sped to a stunning performance which propelled him to second place in the UK Championships.

A deluge wiped out the actual race day at the Santa Pod track, but by then the Naburn-based teenager had set an unassailable standard.

During the qualification rounds Jackson qualified in first position by registering a reaction time in his heat of an astounding 0.008 of a second.

What was more impressive was that all the qualification times at the meeting were at fantastic speeds. Even the driver who finished 18th showed a reaction time of 0.8 of a second.

But the Fulford School pupil’s time was so good it was officialy registered as a perfect racing time, said his dad Wayne Jackson.

“The time gave him the number one rating for the weekend, even though the actual race day was called off, and lifted him back to second place in the UK Championships.”

Jackson was lying third before last weekend after reaching the semi-finals of the Springspeed National Championships.

Next up for Jackson, who has attracted the backing of Lucas Oil products and star senior rider Andy Carter, is in a fortnight’s time back at the Santa Pod circuit in Northamptonshire.