Grafham teenager Jonathan Railton took a huge step towards the under-25 KTM RC8 Supercup with victory in his age category at Thruxton. Railton, 18, now lies second in the championship standings, just two points behind rival Sam Bishop. The championships l

Grafham teenager Jonathan Railton took a huge step towards the under-25 KTM RC8 Supercup with victory in his age category at Thruxton.

Railton, 18, now lies second in the championship standings, just two points behind rival Sam Bishop. The championships looks set to be a shoot-out between the two riders, who have won five out of the six rounds held so far, and are pulling away from the field.

He started Sunday's race ninth on the grid, and was able to climb to eighth by the end, to win the under-25 category.

"It was an excellent weekend for Jon, he had a very good race and was battling with several riders for an even higher finished," said Jonathan's father David.

"Thruxton is a tricky place to go. It's a real bucking bronco of a track, really bumpy in places, but extremely fast and flowing in others."

Railton is currently a student at Hinchingbrooke, and has been restricted in his testing by his A-levels, but he was at less of a disadvantage last weekend as testing is not allowed at Thruxton.

"He felt that he had an equal footing at this circuit, and fortunately he was able to make the most of it. He was getting faster throughout the weekend, and we made some adjustments to the bike, which really helped him in the race."

Railton Sr hopes that the victory at Thruxton will be start of a successful summer for his son, with eight rounds of the championship still to ride.

"I think he's put himself in a very strong position for the championship now.

He's confident that he will be there at the end of the season, and he hopes to have the upper hand over Sam Bishop at some of the circuits that are coming up."

Railton is already looking at racing options for next season as he plots a route to achieving his ambition of riding in the Superbikes championship. He is considering entering the Superstock 1000 class, though nothing has yet been decided.

"There are certainly interested parties for next season, but we are talking to people at the moment, and hoping to make a decision soon. Superstock 1000 is probably the next step, so that's what we're aiming for," he said.

Sunday's results comes at the end of a successful week for Railton, who moved into second position of the championships with second place finishes in the fourth and fifth rounds of the championships at Donington on May 24.

The championships now move on to a double-header at Snetterton over the weekend of the June 19-21.