Sam Tomlinson picked up two podium finishes in the opening round of the BARC Mighty Mini Championship at Cadwell Park over the weekend.

Things started well for the Duxford racer as he stormed to second on the qualifying grid for race one.

Some clean air during the 20-minute session had put him on pole but in the final two minutes of the session he was ousted, just eight hundredths of a second behind the leader.

Starting on the outside line for the first corner in the opening race, Tomlinson, in his Skip UK-sponsored vehicle, battled to the front of the grid in the first lap.

He managed to keep the lead for three laps until he was passed by four cars on the straight.

Tomlinson battled back from fifth and over the remaining laps he fought back to second, finishing one tenth behind the eventual winner.

He also produced the fastest lap of the race (and weekend) which gave him valuable extra points.

For race two, with the reverse grid of the top eight from the previous contest, leaving Tomlinson to fight from seventh, he got off to another great start, gaining three places by the end of lap one.

Hanging with the main pack for the rest of the race, he managed to leapfrog one more spot to third place.

Overall, it was a great weekend for Tomlinson which puts him firmly in second place in the championship and all to play for at the next round which takes place at Donington Park on June 18-19. The races will be aired live on Motors TV.

Due to his early-season success RTS Motorsport owner John Chapman has offered Tomlinson a test drive in their Mini Challenge car at Snetterton Park in July with a view to entering the series next campaign.

Tomlinson said: “I am delighted to be given this opportunity with such a well-known team and look forward to potentially working with them next year.”

For the latest on Tomlinson, follow him on Twitter @skipukmini