Carl Garnett secured a great pair of Pro Am class podium finishes as he made his Knockhill debut in the Millers Oils Ginetta GT4 SuperCup (14/15 August).
Whilst Garnett went to Scotland having competed once at Knockhill before in his Mazda MX5 days, that was on the reverse track layout. The weekend therefore presented a new challenge for the Yorkshireman, as he tackled the regular circuit for the first time in his Ginetta.
The two free practice sessions on Friday were therefore important for Garnett to get up to speed around the unique 1.27 mile circuit in dry conditions. Gaining confidence and speed every lap, he finished the day second fastest in the competitive Pro Am class.
Unfortunately the Telescope backed driver wasn’t able to show his full potential in qualifying on Saturday morning. Sudden rainfall just minutes into the session meant he had to settle for his second flying lap, leaving him fourth on the grid for the opening race.
The weather improved ahead of the two races that afternoon, with Garnett putting in a strong showing in the opener. Moving up a position on the opening lap, he piled the pressure on the driver ahead across the second half of the race before taking the chequered flag in third.
Starting in the same position for race two, an action-packed opening lap saw the York based racer go from last in class at one stage to second. A slick move on lap five netted him the class lead, however he would ultimately have to settle for second at the chequered flag – a tenth consecutive podium finish.
The final race of the weekend was a milestone one for Garnett, as he made his 50th start in the GT4 SuperCup. Starting fourth on the partial reverse grid, he was battling for the podium when he was unable to avoid a spinning car and contact led to a puncture.
Garnett, who races with the support of Astrolite, ValetPro, AC Database Services and Demon Tweeks, was able to salvage some points in fourth place after a pitstop, which ensures he remains second in the Pro Am championship standings.
Carl Garnett:“It’s frustrating to have our podium record come to an end this weekend, but overall I’m pretty pleased with a couple more top three finishes and were it not for the unfortunate contact in race three, I reckon it could have been a hat-trick.
“It was a learning curve getting to grips with the circuit in this car and I’m happy with how I did. It was clear I didn’t have the pace to match Colin White and challenge for wins this weekend, so second was the target and we achieved it in race two.
“Thank you to the AK Motorsport team for their continued hard work, the car was fantastic once again. The gap is increasing to the points leader, but we’re only at the halfway mark of the season and there’s still a lot more racing to do.
"A huge congratulations also to my AK Motorsport team-mate Garry Townsend on a richly deserved first Pro Am podium finish at the weekend. A great moment for him and the team!"
Next up for Garnett is a visit to the fastest circuit in the UK, Thruxton, for another Millers Oils Ginetta GT4 SuperCup triple header in two weeks’ time (28/29 August).
Image from Jakob Ebrey Photography.
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