Beckenham, Kent has a new motor racing star – Gareth Howell. After winning for the first time in Britain’s biggest race series, the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, the 24-year-old will be looking to taste the victory champagne once more at his home track of Brands Hatch this coming Sunday 2 October.
Emerging talent Howell beat all the big names, including Matt Neal, Yvan Muller and Jason Plato to win for the first time in his career in the most recent round at Silverstone.
And now he’s hungry for more podium success. In addition, Howell will be hoping to help Team Halfords team-mate Neal win the title for the first time after 14 years of trying. Neal is currently 30 points ahead of Vauxhall driver Muller arriving at Brands, the final round of this year’s BTCC.
Howell says: "I always dreamt of being in touring cars since I was a kid. I watched it on television and fell in love with the cars and the racing.
"Matt was always a hero of mine. I can remember when he won £250,000 for beating all the top teams – it inspired me to go on and make my dream come true.
"I don’t think Matt will need my help to win the title at Brands but if he does then he’s got it."
Howell has a great chance of winning around Brands Hatch's full-length Grand Prix circuit, particularly in race one – his car will go into it without the success ballast that the likes of Neal and Muller must carry because of their top five championship positions.
Howell adds: "That’s a big help because the Brands’ Grand Prix track is very undulating and the weight will hurt around there. But I actually want weight in my car – I took a pole position and a win at Silverstone, but it’s important that I can show people I can be just as competitive with ballast."
Howell and the rest of the BTCC field will take to the Brands Hatch circuit on Saturday morning for the first of two practice sessions ahead of qualifying in the afternoon. On Sunday, the final three races of the 2005 BTCC season take place and will receive live air time on Britain’s most popular commercial terrestrial television channel ITV1.
