TEENAGER Tom Boardman is being let out to play after dark for the second time this year on Saturday, but he has total parental consent!

For the young racing driver, in a team run by his father John, will be competing in one of the highlights of the www.theAA.com MSA British Touring Car Championship season, the night races at Snetterton, Norfolk.

Although held after dusk, 17-year-old Boardman will not be as much in the dark as he was during the championship's first night event of the year held at Silverstone in June.

That was the Forton lad's first taste of competing under the stars and it was a totally different experience for him -- now though, he knows what to expect.

"I can't wait," he explains. "I really enjoyed the Silverstone races, apart from the rain in the second race, so if it stays dry this weekend Snetterton should be really good. I like racing at Snetterton anyway but at night it will be something special.

"I found at Silverstone that it wasn't just a case of racing as you normally do but at night, it's completely different.

"On the one hand your visibility is drastically reduced but on the other you can see people's brake lights clearer which always helps, especially if you know you can get past them under braking into corners!

"It's also difficult when you go from the unlit parts of the circuit into the floodlit sections, you have to adapt to the change in light very quickly or you lose time."

The BTC Production class rising star has a good record at the Norfolk track. He took one of his first victories in car racing at Snetterton -- in the innovative teenager-only T-Cars Series -- and had the highest speed in his class on the Revett Straight, Britain's fastest race track straight, during a recent BTCC test there.

Boardman, who races a distinctively pink-liveried Peugeot 306 GTI6, adds: "If the car doesn't have the fuel system problems it suffered in the last rounds, I'm confident I can go well there.

My car was very quick in the test at Snetterton and I'm hoping it will be the same for the races on Saturday.

"We're testing at Mallory Park this week to sort out the fuel problem so hopefully it will be 100 per cent for Snetterton. Then it will be down to me to get a good result."