British rookie Redding becomes youngest Grand Prix winner, at the age of 15

Scott Redding of Britain kisses his helmet after winning the 125cc race

Toseland, by comparison, ate his fourth mouthful of gravel on a disastrous weekend when, trying to sprint through from his grid position of 16th, he lost control of his Tech3 Yamaha on the first corner of the MotoGP race.

A badly-swollen left hand and friction burns to his neck caused by the tyre of his own bike as he catapulted over it were nothing compared to the damage to the likeable Sheffield rider’s pride.

The reigning World Superbikes champion paid the price for pressing too hard — a course of action not to be advised on a 990cc motorbike. This, after all, was supposed to be his coming out party in motorcycling’s premier class in front of an adoring British public.

Great Britain's Aprilia's Scott Redding celebrates after winning the 125cc Grand Prix

Certainly, Valentino Rossi’s yellow No 46 — the symbol of MotoGP — has been supplanted by the blue 52 of Toseland in British affections, judging by the volume of souvenir shirts and jackets being worn by the biking devotees at this festival of everything two-wheeled.

Finding positives proved impossible for a dejected Toseland, however. He said: ‘This is possibly the most disappointing day of my life because I let everybody down. Letting myself down comes second to letting down the fans. But nothing is to blame other than over-exuberance into the first turn.’

Toseland remounted out of a sense of duty to the British fans but spent 30 lonely laps touring round with a damaged foot peg for 17th place — last of those who finished the race — while world champion Casey Stoner held off Rossi at the head of the field.

The true test of Toseland’s ability to translate World Superbikes dominance into MotoGP competitiveness will come in 2009.

Redding, meanwhile, succeeded in opening up his future to glorious possibilities, so assured was he in a triumph that enraptured all who witnessed it.

He could not test the 125cc race machine until January, the month of his 15th birthday, while his knowledge of the Donington circuit before this weekend amounted to just three practice laps on an 80cc bike in the rain four years ago.

Having dropped back initially from fourth place on the grid, he took advantage of a melee in front of him to slip through into second place on lap two and set off in determined pursuit of Andrea Iannone. When the Italian’s nerve betrayed him as Redding closed in, the teenager was left on his own in front — a test of concentration in which terror of failure proved his most threatening opponent.

He passed the examination with ease, which is more than could be said for the unworldly air he carried on to the top step of the podium.

With another 15-year-old, Spain’s Marc Marquez, in third place, only one bottle of champagne was permitted, for race runner-up Mike di Meglio, a comparative veteran at 20.

Asked how he would toast becoming the first British rider to win any Grand Prix class in 22 years of racing at Donington, Redding’s response was charming in its innocence. He said: ‘I’ll go home and give my dad and my uncle some money to go and get hammered.’