From a young boy rolling around his parent’s mechanic shop in Werris Creek to racing against Australia’s finest, such as Jamie Whincup, on a national and international stage, Garnet Patterson is living his dreams.
Last weekend Garnet and the team took out Round 2 of the GT World Challenge Australia over in Perth, a pleasing result following round one’s runners up title.
“It was the ideal weekend. One the round with a win for race one and a fourth in race two, but we took out with the points,” Garnet said.
Garnet is always happy to be racing on home soil, following many tours throughout Europe over the years. He says it nice to inspire other young people from the New England to chase big dreams.
“You don’t always thing someone from a small country town can make it this far, but we can.”
For Garnet the goal has always been very clear.
“The goal has always been to do what I am doing now and higher.”
“I am chasing the goal, chasing the dream. I’ve always known it was achievable I just needed to make the right steps.”
“Now, to be racing against the likes of the Jamie Whincup’s of the world, who we beat on the weekend, who is someone I grew up watching win super car titles,” he said.
“To race be racing with this calibre of guys is amazing and has always been a goal.”
Having to live and breathe the lifestyle, Garnet continues to strive for excellence in his performance with new and old aspirations on the track driving his motivation.
“I am always pushing for more, even now I am not fully satisfied, you always want to be better,” Garnet said.
“I want to be a factory driver for a brand in Europe, in the hyper-car category in the long term.”
“My goals as a kid have always been to win LeMans 24 hour, that has always been my goal.”
“Having raced over there and done that style of racing and being successful at it, the goal is to be there full-time and at the front.”
Family continues to be Garnet’s number one supporters, which he pays tribute to for making his careers possible from a young age.
“I pestered my dad a lot and my uncle had a farm with a dirt go kart track, so we grew up riding motorbikes and driving go karts around the track since I was about three years old.”
And they say all athletes have their tick, and our Werris Creek local is no exception.
“Any open wheel car I always make sure I get in from the left-hand side of the car.”
“With a GT car you have no chance right, you can’t climb in from the wrong side but being a German car now with Porsche its good because it’s left-hand drive so I can get in the side I like to. That’s my only weird thing.”
Garnet will return to the grid for round three of the GT World Challenge Australia at Phillip Island, Victoria on March 18-20.
“It is a different style of track to where we were last weekend, which in GT racing makes a big different. There is a balance of performance, this equates the cars, so the different manufacturers have to run to a certain weight and a certain restrictor for the engine.”
“It is a very fast track well suited to those cars and the that the Porsche is quite a good car there.”
The GT World Challenge Australia is being streamed on Stan Sport, so tune in to watch Garnet and his team.
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