The second season of The Grand Tour is here, and along with it comes a new hotshoe to set lap times at the so-called Eboladrome. After dispatching with Mike Skinner whose “The American” schtick fell very flat, the Amazon Prime show brought younger, far more reserved replacement. British racing driver Abbie Eaton is the new face behind the helmet, though the show sure isn’t making a fuss about it.
According to Jalopnik, an Amazon spokesperson speculated that the reaction to Skinner was so poor that The Grand Tour’s producers decided to downplay Eaton’s role. Intellectual property rights prevent them from using an anonymous driver like Top Gear‘s The Stig, so we arrive at this strange middle ground. The only time Eaton’s name appears is in the show’s credits.
For her part, Eaton has a respectable resume. Like many drivers today, she got her start in karting before graduating to higher series like British GT. She was the 2014 Mazda MX-5 Supercup Champion and works as a driving instructor. James May said Eaton was the best and fastest driver the show tested. Let’s hope she gets a real introduction sometime soon.
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