Abbie Eaton On Eboladrome And Being The Grand Tour's Driver

By now, all of you know the face behind the racing helmet on The Grand Tour is Abbie Eaton, an experienced racing driver from Yorkshire. Now, as Season 2 has come to an end, she talks to Red Bull about life as a racing driver for the motoring show, The Grand Tour, and what it's like to work with the three amigos.

How did it start?

She tells Red Bull that initially she thought it was a wind up when she received an email about the gig. But when she was on her way to Swindon to meet the team, she realised it was the real deal.

View gallery image

Her thoughts on the Eboladrome

She reveals that the Eboladrome is a difficult track to master. Blind and off-camber corners can 'easily bite you' and roaming wildlife have got in the way of some laps. Regardless, she says how it's a rewarding track which needs to be respected.

In the Mercedes AMG GT-R, she says she had a clenching moment on the narrow run down to substation. According to Abbie, there's a crest on the left kink which caused the car to step out. "That’s not a place on the track where you want to be sideways!"

Her favourite part of the track is the blind right-hander of the Isn't Straight. she says at the limit at 90+mph, it's a big adrenaline hit. "There’s no run-off area at the track either – just an abundance of trees to catch you if you mess up…"

Best car driven on the show?

"That’s a tough question," she says. "The Lamborghini Huracán Performante was an exceptional car to drive, as it was so suited to the track; the four-wheel drive system really allowed the 631bhp to be used fully, as traction is so important out of the slower corners of the track, whereas two-wheel drive systems lack the ability to get the traction down as well."

Her favourite car was the Ford GT, however. She says the handling and braking performance of the car was "ridiculously good", even if she did need some padding behind the seat so she could reach the steering wheel.

He least favourite on the other hand, was the VW up! GTI. this was due to it not being suited to the Eboladrome, even though it's a nippy car. She says it's more suited to a really tight, twisty track, unlike the Eboladrome.

Has The Grand Tour affected Abbie's racing career?

According to Abbie, she's been offered more drives, but wants to make sure she takes on what's right for her. She's currently looking at GT3 drives in America or Europe, and possibly the Dubai 12hr in January 2019. "After winning my first race in the Ferrari 488 GT3 in 2017 with no testing and at a new track, it really inspired me to get a full-time seat and get fully stuck in."

Australian Supercars us her ultimate goal, though. She says those drivers are second-to-none.

Is she racing at the moment?

Yes. She's competing in selected GT races throughout 2018 and is also competing in the Super Touring Car Championship in the GA6 Invitation class. She's driving the legendary 1983 Peter Brock replica Holden VH Commodore with the once again legendary Marlboro livery. She says she's very excited for this, especially as it's one of the only 80s Australian Touring Cars in the UK.

You can read the full interview here.

I personally love Abbie as the new driver. As The American wasn't quite cutting it, it's great to see a new face, but also a female driver take the wheel. This will hopefully urge more women to get into the sport and open up the industry to more diversification.