Carl Garnett will make his debut in the British GT Championship later this month, teaming up with Breakell Racing to race their Mercedes-AMG GT4 as part of the prestigious Silverstone 500 event (26-28 April).

After a number of years progressing as a driver in one-make Mazda and Ginetta competition, an exciting next step in his motorsport career will see Garnett step up to compete in one of the world’s foremost domestic GT championships for the first time.

Embarking on his second season of racing with leading GT and prototype team Breakell Racing, Garnett will be sharing the Mercedes with young talent Harley Haughton. A former title contender in the Ginetta GT5 Challenge, last year he contested races in GT3 and GT4 machinery.

Garnett got his first experience in the Mercedes a couple of weeks ago, as he teamed with Haughton to contest the British Endurance Championship season opener at Donington Park. The event also marked his endurance racing debut as he tackled a two-hour race.

The event proved to be a valuable learning experience for the York-based driver, getting crucial track-time in the car in both wet and dry conditions, as well as enjoying an introduction multi-class racing that will prove to be valuable preparation for his British GT bow.

The Silverstone 500 is the crown jewel of the British GT Championship calendar, with the three-hour spectacle regularly attracting the biggest grid of the season as guest entries join the full-time contenders on the world-famous Grand Prix circuit.

British GT is enjoying one of its most successful periods ever at the moment, with a capacity 36-car entry for the 2024 campaign. A multi-class format covers GT3 and GT4, with no less than ten manufacturers represented including Mercedes-AMG, Aston Martin, Lamborghini and McLaren.

Carl Garnett: “I’m very excited to be making my British GT Championship debut. It’s a surreal feeling to think I’ll be sitting in the drivers briefing alongside some of the best racers in the world, let alone sharing a track with them.

“British GT has been an ambition since starting in Ginetta’s back in 2019, so I’m delighted to get the opportunity to do it. I’m heading in with no expectations, I just want to enjoy the experience and put in the best performance possible.

“Racing in the British Endurance Championship was great preparation for me, as it gave a more-rounded learning experience than simply testing the car and I got some good mileage under my belt. Thank you to Breakell Racing for this opportunity.”

Garnett’s 2024 season started with a bumper Easter weekend of racing, as he followed his British Endurance Championship debut on Good Friday with a return to the Ginetta GT Championship at Oulton Park; racing on the Saturday and Monday.

After earning a hard-fought third in class in the BEC, he added further silverware in his Ginetta. Considering he had no pre-event testing to get to grips with car upgrades and a new tyre compound compared to 2023, he put in a brilliant performance to score a pair of class podium finishes.

Carl Garnett: “It was certainly a new challenge for me to switch from the Mercedes to Ginetta one day to the next, on different circuits and changing the mindset from endurance to sprint racing. It was good fun though and provided a great learning opportunity for me as I continue to progress as a driver.”

Images from Robert Borowik Media.