Easter Monday at Brands Hatch saw the Kent based Edenbridge Racing team post a warning to their rivals in the opening BTCC meeting of the season.

The day proved that Edenbridge do not have all their eggs in one basket as both drivers achieved podium positions.

The sprint race, extended from 15 to 19 laps after a first lap incident brought out the safety car, saw Edenbridge’s Norman Simon win the exciting Production Class battle. Norman finished the race almost a second faster than his nearest rival. This was the first win for the team’s BMW’s, proving that they have what it takes.

Although young Tom Boardman was unable to complete the first race owing to an on track meeting with another car while leading, he showed his mettle in the second race of the day. The 25 lap feature race, which was interrupted twice by Safety Car periods, saw Tom cross the line just behind the Collard Clio. A sweet revenge for the Collard team who were second to Edenbridge in the earlier race, but an ominous sign for them as this was only Tom’s second race in the BMW.

A beaming Tom said "What a day. After the first race I was pretty low, but just seeing the effort that the Team was putting into getting my car back on the track for the second race made me more determined than ever to do well for them. So you can imagine how pleased I was to get that second spot. I felt that I hadn’t let myself or the team down."

Norman was equally happy "Practice over the weekend had been extremely limited owing to a suspension bolt problem which affected both cars, but during that first race I felt that we were flying. To achieve a win for Edenbridge in my first drive with them was more than I anticipated."

Peter Briggs, the Edenbridge Team Boss, was pleased with the one / two result. He said "The nucleus of the team has been with me for many years and that showed when we had a very unusual suspension failure during practice and then in the repair to Tom’s car during the short time between the two races. Norman is an experienced racer and that was obvious in the sprint race. Tom is improving every time he gets behind the wheel and I was particularly pleased with the way he picked himself up after the disappointment of the first race. To get a first and second spot in the opening meeting of the season has given us all a lift. Before the weekend we were quietly confident and now that we have proved what we can do we have to ensure that this success is carried forward to the next round at Oulton Park."