Wayne Ryan takes maiden 125GP podium place

Wayne Ryan secured his maiden British 125GP Championship podium at Thruxton this afternoon with a dogged ride to third place in the rain-hit race.

The RSF-backed KRP rider made up 14 places to realise his long-awaited goal after dropping from fifth on the grid to 17th before the first lap was over.The strong finish also secured the teenager the victory and fastest lap in the integral under-17s Academy Cup competition.

Ryan's problematic start - the result of a shaky getaway coupled with an off-track excursion at Church - placed him 14th by the end of the lap and kick-started a rapid recovery.The rider was up to fourth within five laps, chasing the lead trio of Rob Guiver, Andy Reid and Kyle Ryde. When Ryde dropped out with three laps to go the RSF youngster took over third spot only to be relieved of the place on the following lap by school mate and Academy Cup rival Bradley Ray. But Ray's hold on the place was equally brief as Ryan dived down the inside of Fab Racing rider at the start of the final lap to power away and take the chequered flag three seconds clear.The determined bid for the final podium position, which produced a best lap of 1min 28.976secs, also earned him the Academy Cup fastest lap.

"I nearly came off on the first lap and dropped down to 17th," he said after stepping down from the podium presentations. "But fortunately I managed to hang on and chip away to climb back up the order.

"It got a bit tricky at the end though when Bradley caught me. I didn't think there was anyone behind and then he came past me.

"After that we had a bit of a battle and then I went up the inside of him on the first corner and just kept the power on everywhere because I knew he was strong on the last corner.

"But I was two seconds faster on the last lap which made sure he didn't get near me again."

Ryan, who thought a podium finish was beyond his reach in the early stages of the race, is now targeting another step forwards at the next round of the championship at Knockhill next month.