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MOTORSPORT DAYS ANNUAL
15
of times before, she had to dig deep and
learn quickly the changing ways of theWelsh
circuit. As many will know, Anglesey has
some of the most breathtaking views. Com-
ing into Rocket, you feel the wind pushing
the car, but come round to Peel and the view
gives the impression you are going to be
launched into the sea. Thinking back to that
weekend, she remembers: “I’ve not had the
car nailed setup-wise since! The gap to every-
one else decreased over the weekend, so all
I can put it down to is that we cracked the
perfect setup early on and others learnt
through the weekend.”
However, the last two races of the season
at Donington were not as smooth. “Doning-
ton Park was the worst weekend of racing I’ve
had in a long time,” she says. “This season we
haven’t had too many problems with reliabil-
ity, so its sod’s law that the weekend we had
issues on was the most important weekend’s
racing of the year!
“In qualifying we were setting the car up as
we didn't have the luxury of testing the day
before, so I was sat in fourth for a while until
the second to last lap, when I put a quick lap
in which moved me to P1, only to be pipped
to the post by Liam Murphy on his last flying
lap. I was happy with second place as Tom,
my championship rival, was down in fourth.”
For Race 1, Eaton’s game plan was to settle
in fourth position, as this was all that was
needed to secure the championship. But dis-
aster struck as a pipe came off the power
steering and poured fluid all over the tyres
and windscreen, pulling the alternator belt
off and overheating the engine, resulting in
an engine failure and retirement from the
race.
But after a few panicked phone calls the
team managed to find a damaged MX-5 at a
local salvage yard. After a long night’s work,
her car was ready for the 2.30pm start the fol-
lowing day. With the MX-5s you are allowed
drop scores, so counting Eaton’s penultimate
race in the championship meant she picked
up points from her lowest finish of sixth
place. So once again, all she needed in the
final race of the year was to finish fourth to
secure the championship. How hard could
that be? Well, Eaton had to start Race 2 from
the back of the grid due to the DNF in Race
1, so she certainly had her work cut out.
“I managed to overtake 10 places on the
I had done the
unthinkable and
got myself into a
position in which I
would have sealed
the championship
and I then had it
taken away from
me by someone
out of the
championship
fight
“
first lap and slowly reeled in the rest, edging
my way up to sixth position before Redgate
corner,” she explains. “With that, I was hit
from behind by Clint Bardwell and spun
around. I couldn’t believe it. I had done the
unthinkable and got myself into a position in
which I would have sealed the championship
and I then had it taken away from me by
someone out of the championship fight. I
think the word “distraught” is an understate-
ment. The car was too damaged to continue,
so I brought it into the pits and found a quiet
corner to wait in until the end of the race.”
To her surprise, the title fight was far from
over. “When BRSCC Competitions Director
Drew Furlong came over and announced I
was champion I couldn't believe it. I asked
several times for confirmation and then the
celebrations began! I had won by one point.
Tom Roche finished second in the race but
failed to post the fastest lap, which would
have gained him another point and won him
the championship. I now understand the say-
ing “emotional rollercoaster”!”
What a way to end 2014; a championship
fight right down to the wire and out of her
control at the very end. But those three wins
at Anglesey, two pole positions, eight podi-
ums and six fastest laps highlight why Eaton
made it onto the top step.
The last year has not been all about the MX-
5s for Eaton, though, as she was also lucky
enough to drive a Ginetta G55, which has
always been a goal of hers. So, with two big
milestones achieved in 2014, what does she
have planned for 2015? Well, most of the
MX-5 racers will be pleased to hear that
Eaton is looking for a new challenge. “I still
have a lot to learn and would like to start this
learning as soon as possible! Both the
Ginetta Supercup and British GT look appeal-
ing to me and this is what I’m aiming to
secure the budget for,” she reveals.
Something tells us we will be seeing a lot
more of Abbie Eaton in 2015.
”
