YORK’S drag-racing ace Brad Jackson has runner-up spot squarely in his sights in his first season as a professional driver - although a maiden title glory is now beyond him.

The 17-year-old still lies second in the UK National Championship after the latest bout of action - the FIA European Finals at Santa Pod, Northampton.

Jackson got through the first round of eliminations over the weekend but was then drawn against championship leader Scott Hauser.

He made a rare error and red lit by 0.02 of a second - effectively making a false start - gifting the win to Hauser and almost certainly handing the championship his way too.

Hauser is likely to seal the crown at the last round, the National Finals meeting, back at Santa Pod next weekend.

However, it was still a good weekend for Jackson, keeping his grip on the second spot that he has held all season. It is a tight race, though, with six other drivers in with a chance of stealing runner-up spot.

Qualifying had started on Thursday with the first of eight rounds of qualifying.

He finished a creditable 11th place with a 0.007 seconds package, with the 32nd bump spot place being taken by team-mate Dave Catton with a time of 0.0422 in the sister car of the Lucas Oil/Nick Good Motorsport team. In this competitive event, 15th place was secured with a time of 0.009 of a second.

Naburn-based teenager Jackson moved up to senior drag racing competition this year after four successful years on the British junior dragster circuit.

Achievements as a junior included winning the 2013 FIA main event, coming fifth in the UK Lucas Oil National Championship 2012, triumphing at the Big Bang event in 2011, coming fourth in the UK National Championship in 2011 and second in the FIA European finals in 2010.

This year, the apprentice motor technician joined the Nick Good Motorsport team - the only three-car Super Pro team in Europe - of which his dad, Wayne Jackson, is the team principal.

His car is a Worthy Dragster from the United States, standing almost 20 feet long. It boasts a Big Block Chevrolet V8 Enderle methanol-injected engine of 9,258cc and capable of 940 bhp.