ALTHOUGH too young to legally drink champagne, teenager Tom Boardman is hoping to get his hands on a couple of bottles this weekend as he heads to the penultimate race weekend of the 2001 www.theAA.com MSA British Touring Car Championship.

After celebrating his first podium finish in Round 21 at Silverstone, at the previous meeting, and very nearly winning Round 22 later that day -- after leading until the final two laps when his engine let go -- he firmly believes he can do it again this Sunday (September 23) at Donington Park, Leicestershire.

With sky-high confidence the 17-year-old, the youngest BTCC driver to stand on the rostrum, wants more of the same in Rounds 23 and 24 in his BTC Production Class Peugeot 306.

And now his car is free of a troublesome fuel gremlin that hampered his progress for 12 mid-season races, the Lancashire lad has every right to feel hopeful.

"I'm feeling a lot more confident with myself and my car after Silverstone," he says.

"The first race when I finished third and was fighting with the usual front runners throughout was especially good. That performance proves that I can race with the top Production Class drivers and race cleanly with them.

"The second race was a bit different because the top few drivers all crashed out on the first lap. My plan was always to try to find a bit of space on the track and just concentrate on getting faster lap by lap -- I got the space I was looking for, just at the front. But again that shows to everyone that I can do it when the opportunity arises."

Boardman says: "Starting anywhere in the top ten is good in this class as you are then among the quicker drivers and don't get involved in as many incidents as you would if you came from the back of the field. "My aim is to try to get in the top six this weekend during qualifying but I would be happy with the top ten. If I can do that it would give me more confidence in my ability to compete in the races."

And if he does receive more champagne to spray before the end of the season, he has promised to keep it on ice until his 18th -- eight days after the final race of the year at Brands Hatch in October.