Bermudian motorcycle ace Chris Wallington cruised to victory in a race in Florida last weekend and gave himself a shot at winning a US regional championship.

Wallington got off to an explosive start in the semi-pro level Lightweight Grand Prix at West Palm Beach and proceeded to increase the gap between him and his rivals throughout the race.

The semi-pro level rider ended up winning by the huge margin of 14 seconds - around quarter of a lap clear of his closest challenger - and catapulted himself into second place in US South East Regional Championships.

Wallington earned 65 points for the win and now lies 70 points behind leader Steve Bolden, who finished fourth in the race.

Because of Wallington's budget limitations, Bolden has the advantage of being able to take part in more races than the Bermudian.

But the 23-year-old from Southampton believes he can still overhaul Bolden before the year is out. To do so he would probably have to win his remaining two South East races, at West Palm Beach next month and the season finale at Homested in December, when double points will be on offer.

Apart from that, Wallington still has the highlight of his season to look forward to, when he competes in the Race of Champions against the top riders in the US on the world-famous circuit at Daytona, in mid-October.

Wallington put his West Palm Beach success down to his flying start and well-tuned bike.

"I've never been able to get good starts in the past but this time I did and I reached the first turn in first place," said Wallington.

"I've always thought if I could get a good start I would be difficult to catch and I guess I proved myself right. By the end of the first lap, I was five seconds ahead. At one stage I was 18 seconds ahead and started to lap people. When I got caught in lap traffic I slowed down a bit, but by the end of the race I was 14 seconds in front."

Wallington said he had pushed his race-battered Yamaha TZ-250 to the limit and that had taken its toll on the machine.

"After I'd won I did a little interview with the track commentator," said Wallington. "Then I tried to start the bike again, but it wouldn't start. It was finished."

Wallington has been helped by top mechanic Paul Riccio, who works for factory team GP Tech. He intends to buy a new bike built by Riccio, which should be ready for his next race in West Palm Beach next month.

Wallington will be aiming to catch the eye of the factory team scouts in Daytona, but he will also be looking to impress someone closer to home - his father, who will watch his son race for the first time.

The rider dedicated his West Palm Beach victory to Stephen and Kristie Dunkley, his first sponsors, who were instrumental in persuading Wallington to restart his racing career this year after he temporarily quit through lack of sponsorship.