The Grand Tour

Grand Tour Racing Driver Abbie Eaton Pursues Supercar Placement

Abbie Eaton, well-known for her position on The Grand Tour as their racing driver after replacing Mike Skinner for Season 2, is after a career racing in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship.

While gaining experience driving for the show on the Eboladrome, she is most well-known for her success in the 2014 Maxda MX5 Super Cup and Amateur class of the Blancpain Endurance Series at Monza last year.

Now, the Silverstone racing school instructor is setting her sights even higher with the objective of getting into Australia and more specifically, Supercars.

“I have the ultimate dream of racing in Supercars and ever since I was little whenever I saw it on the television I was never able to walk past it without sitting down to watch,” Eaton, who is working to secure funding to return to racing next year, told Speedcafe.com.

“I know a lot of people want to go down the GT route as it is easier to get drives but Supercars is where it is at.

“It’s one of the most competitive championships in the world and it would take me time to find my feet, but the cars and circuits look incredible. It is everything you could want from a championship and a car.

“I think having her (Simona de Silvestro) in the championship and also that she is a female is really cool.

“Whatever championship I jump into I want to be in the top there and be battling the front runners and I have been able to do that.

“I think I put it down to having taught myself. Back when I started racing that wasn’t the way like it is now (with driver coaches) and I couldn’t afford it anyway. You have to work that little bit harder for it that way.”

Eaton revealed that she sent a letter to Holden and Triple Eight earlier this year following the revelation that the former was interested in fielding a female in a Supercar.

“When that (Holden story) came about I was straight onto it and I wrote a letter to Mark Harland (former Holden marketing boss) but he ended up leaving,” she explained.

“I put something on social media and a lot people seemed to get behind it.

“I’m not daft to think that if there is me and someone with backing sat in the bank then they are obviously going to pick the driver with funding.

“But it would be cool if there were to look at the bigger picture and invest in someone that is up and coming a bit like Lewis Hamilton.

“If I can just across to Australia and maybe test something then that would help too.”

Eaton’s next step is to travel to Australia to test out the cars, even if that means moving out there and working from the bottom to get to the top.

“It would be a dream to move across to Australia and race in one of the support series and try and create a profile and get up to doing Supercars.

“You never know what can happen and you have got to get your name out there.

“It is certainly on the list and come and have a chat to a few people.”

Hopefully this can happen alongside filming for The Grand Tour as you have all really enjoyed seeing a different face under the helmet on the Eboladrome. Especially after the complaints that Mike Skinner received as The American.

So come on guys, give her some support!

Alex Harrington

Alex started racing at a young age so certainly knows his way around a car and a track. He can just about put a sentence together too, which helps. He has a great interest in the latest models, but would throw all of his money at a rusty old French classic and a 300ZX. Contact: [email protected]

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