SPORT’S a drag for Brad Jackson – and he doesn’t mind a bit.

For the 13-year-old’s chosen sport is behind the wheel of a lean and mean machine that is capable of hurtling an eighth of a pencil-straight mile in just 7.2 seconds, which equates to a stunning speed of 89.6 miles per hour.

Phew. Just typing out those stats induces a sharp intake of breath, but for the Naburn-based teenager it’s all part of his learning curve in the sport of junior dragster racing.

Brad’s dad Wayne Jackson, a competitive racecar driver himself until three years ago, explained that his son opted to concentrate on a faster mode of transport a few months ago.

A former national BMX champion, the Fulford School pupil gained his dragster license earlier this month at the Santa Pod track in Northampton, one of only two in England which stages the junior event of drag-car racing.

One of his first reaction times was clocked at an astonishing 0.0038 of a second, said Jackson senior.

The teenager is now preparing for the upcoming season of the UK Junior Dragster Championships.

All this weekend, Jackson junior is staging test sessions in the car, which is one of the fastest machines in Europe.

The UK Junior Dragster Championships, which start in April, comprise seven rounds either at the the Santa Pod circuit or at the Shakespeare Country Raceway, near Bristol.

Jackson senior explained that his son has attracted major sponsorship deals from Lucas Oil – a high-performance oil supplier from America – Carter Motorsports and motorshack.com.

Speed definitely runs in the Jackson family. For Brad’s 18-year-old sister Jessica competes in the American Superstock series, which includes meetings at the Melbourne circuit just outside York.