Gareth Howell

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Gareth Howell
2006 BTCC driver
Nationality
Car #	25
Car	Honda Integra
Drivers championships	0
Wins	3
Podium finishes	5
Poles	2
Fastest laps	4
Debut season	2002
Best championship result	11th (2006)
2006 position	11th (80 points)
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Gareth Howell is an auto racing driver from the UK. He has occasionally competed in the BTCC (British Touring Car Championship) in the past seven years (2000-6).

At the age of 10, he told a TV programme that he wanted to race in the BTCC (not mentioning Formula One, which is a bigger draw for most star-struck youngsters).

He made occasional appearances in the 2000 season for GR Motorsport in a Ford Focus, running in the Production class, which was known as Class B at the time. 2001 was his first full season, being part of a four-car GR Motorsport entry into the Production Class. He finished fifth overall in his class, having taken a race win in round 16 of the series at Snetterton.

In 2002 he graduated to the main division of the championship, driving an MG ZS for Team Attomic Kitten run by established touring car outfit West Surrey Racing joined by fellow debutant Colin Turkington.

At the end of the season he was dropped from the MG program, and found himself without a full-time drive for the 2003 season. He managed to secure a number of outings during the year, including at Silverstone as team-mate to Gavin Pyper at GA Motorsport, piloting a Vauxhall Astra Coupé. He completed the final 4 two-race rounds of the championship for Team Dynamics, also in a Vauxhall.

He was planned to race for Dynamics in 2004, but after Vic Lee's team closed, Dan Eaves and his Halfords sponsorship replaced him. Gareth sat out the 2004 and much of the 2005 seasons due to a lack of finance. Keen to remain with the team, he held Dan's pitboard for most of 2004.

He finally made his series return at Knockhill for Team Dynamics towards the end of 2005. He drove the teams third Honda Integra DC05 in three race weekends alongside the team's existing drivers Matt Neal and Dan Eaves, taking his debut BTCC win at Silverstone but also incurring several penalties for over-aggressive driving. He was expected to continue for Team Dynamics into 2006, but he instead will only race the final four rounds of the season. [1]

At the final meeting of 2006 on the Silverstone National Circuit, Gareth qualified on pole for the first race and won it, and then battled through the field in the third race for another victory. He also earned 2 penalty points on his license for a collision with [{Adam Jones (racing driver)|Adam Jones]] which damaged the Xero Competition team's car and left it unraceable, but as penalty points only last until December 31st each year, in reality he escaped punishment.