Jack Hawksworth recorded a brilliant second place at Sarno in southern Italy in the opening round of the 2010 CIK-FIA European Karting Championship.

Competing this year for PDB Racing, the highly-rated young Bradford star (pictured) was down in 13th for the first of the finals but reeled in his rivals when the heavens opened.

“It’s all about keeping calm and not making any mistakes when the weather is like that,” said the Cullingworth ace. “Second place was far more than we had expected and an absolutely unbelievable result – one of my best races ever!”

A battling ninth position in the second race has left him third in the overall standings heading to Varennes in mid-France for the second and final round of the Championship in late June.

Hawksworth followed up his success by beating a multiple karting world champion in the third outing of the 2010 WSK Euro Series at Zuera in southern Spain.

Starting from eighth on the grid in the pre-final, Hawksworth finished ahead of three-time defending World Cup winner and former European champion Jonathan Thonon, from Belgium, in fifth place.

“The result was definitely more than I had expected,” said Hawksworth.