Gareth Howell

Gareth Howell
Nationality	British
BTCC record
Teams	Ford, MG, Vauxhall, Honda, SEAT
Drivers championships	0
Wins	3
Podium finishes	5
Poles	2
Fastest laps	4
Debut season	2000
First win	2005
Best championship position	11th in 2006
Final season (2008) position	26th (0 points)

Gareth Howell (born 6 January 1981) is a British racing driver, and multiple British Touring Car Championship race winner from 2000 to 2008.

He drove his first kart aged 4 and began his racing career aged 8. He is a former British karting champion and European Cup winner, who finished 8th in the World Finals in 1995 from 35th on the grid setting fastest lap on the way. During his karting career he raced alongside Jenson Button, Dan Wheldon, and his Zip Kart team mates Anthony Davidson and Gary Paffett.

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).

At age 16 he graduated to the Fiesta si Championship and in 1998 moved up to the BTCC supporting Ford Credit Fiesta Championship. In 1998 he became the youngest race winner in the 20-year history of the Championship aged just 18. He was then runner up in the 2000 championship and winner of the Junior Cup. His prize involved a test for the works Ford Mondeo BTCC super touring team, where he recorded a faster laptime that his Fiesta peers. 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 Atomic Kitten run by established touring car outfit West Surrey Racing joined by fellow debutant Colin Turkington.

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