Welcome back, Johnny!

A wait that lasted more than three years, a time during his career seemed to be over and to turn into a massive "what if" for him, his family and British motorcycle racing in general.

But now, after that crash at Estoril in 2023, we can finally say it: Johnny Garness is back!

The crash

That day in late April 2023 was supposed to be, in some way, a special day for Johnny Garness.

The test at the Estoril circuit, and the race weekend at the same track a week later, were supposed to mark the beginning of an important season for his career and his journey towards the Moto3 World Championship. Garness had won the British Talent Cup in 2022, while also already racing in the European Talent Cup, and was ready for another season in the ETC with the British Talent Team, together also with the Visiontrack Racing Team (which later became MLav Racing and GRYD Racing). For him, the prospect was to then move up to the JuniorGP Moto3 World Championship and eventually to the Grand Prix paddock.

That day in late April 2023, however, turned out differently.

During one of the sessions of that test, Garness crashed and the rider behind him could do nothing to avoid him, and ended up hitting his head. The medical report was one triggering shivers down the spine: fractures to the first and second cervical vertebrae (right in the neck), lower back damage and a brain damage. In the first moments, there were big concerns for Garness' life, but the worst scenario was fortunately avoided and, after some time in observation in Lisbon, the young rider was discharged and was able to continue his recovery in the United Kingdom.

A long period away from racing therefore began for Garness. During that time, he had to watch other riders chase the same dream he had, without being able to be one of them. He did not remain completely away from racing, however, since he made several appearances in a few paddocks, including JuniorGP and BSB.

Missed return and nostalgia

In 2024, Garness was announced as a rider for the MLav Junior Team, in partnership with the British Talent Team. The British rider therefore seemed ready to return. In the end, however, that comeback didn't happened. Perhaps it was still too early, and the important thing was (and still is) his full recovery, without rany rush and without risking even more serious injuries. One thing was certain, though: Johnny Garness enormously missed racing.

And that's more than understandable for a young man who had dedicated his entire life to this sport. He traveled and raced outside the United Kingdom as well (in 2018, for example, he raced in the Junior A class of the Italian Pocket Bike Championship) and he establishing himself as one of the British rising stars when he became the 2022 British Talent Cup winner, with 12 wins in 18 races (including a series of nine wins in a row) and more than 100 points over runner-up Carter Brown. Garness also spoke about how much he missed racing, when Taylor Mackenzie interviewed him for a video about how difficult it is to make it to MotoGP (here is the video). In that moment, it seemed that his career was over.

It SEEMED over, yes. But no, Johnny is not done...

The return

On 20 August 2026, something amazing was made official: Johnny Garness is ready to return.

The announcement came from GRYD Racing, through a statement filled with emotion and excitement at the idea of having Garness back on track. The desire to give it another go, the months spent training in Spain, a test carried out in Valencia and the decision to finally make that comeback happen, almost three and a half years after that terrible crash. As the statement explains, the team had made him a promise: whenever he decided to return, there would be a bike waiting for him. A promise that the team kept.

Garness, now 18, will not race in the Moto4 European Cup (formerly the European Talent Cup), but will go straight into the JuniorGP Moto3 World Championship.

Of course, he will race without any kind of pressure, with the sole aim of regaining his automatisms and feeling on the bike and enjoying himself again. And after everything that has happened, that alone is a victory worth more than any title.

Welcome back, Johnny! And, most importantly, have fun.