Image: Supplied.

WorldSSP prospect Oli Bayliss posted a breakout performance at the eighth round of this year’s championship in Hungary, with a fourth-place finish in race two edging him closer to the front of the field in his fourth season in the category.

Bayliss (PTR Triumph Factory Racing) enjoyed a career-first front row start position on Saturday in P3, converting the placement to eighth in the opening encounter after a late-race mishap at the all-new Balaton Park circuit.

Starting sixth for race two, the 21-year-old was measured throughout the following 18 laps, climbing to fourth off the start and keeping the pressure on for the final step of the podium. Despite the charge, Bayliss would finish fourth, in what is his career best result after 75 starts.

“I’m pretty happy with the weekend,” reflected Bayliss post-race. “I rode my hardest today, but it just wasn’t enough – we were so close to the podium and ended up in a nice battle. This was a really important weekend as we had speed at Donington, but a crash meant we couldn’t show our potential.

“We need to keep on starting from a good position as it makes the races a lot better than trying to fight my way through the pack. A big thanks to the team and all my sponsors for this weekend.”

Bayliss sits 12th in the WorldSSP standings after eight rounds, with racing picking up once more following the summer break at Magny-Cours for the French Round on September 5-7.