"Say her name!" Jeremy Clarkson introduces The Grand Tour's new female driver – but fails to identify her
Abbie Eaton takes over from "the American" for the Amazon car show's second series
No one seems all that upset that The Grand Tour has decided to part ways with "the American" Mike Skinner for series two. The NASCAR driver was unpopular with fans and the Amazon car show has spent months searching for his replacement.
With series two currently airing, they've finally introduced her – yes, HER – to viewers.
Clarkson & co have broken new ground with their latest hire, selecting a female driver – Abbie Eaton – after nine months spent auditioning "everyone we could think of".
The team have tested out "former F1 drivers, rally drivers, stunt drivers, test drivers" until they ended up with the fastest. "And here she is..." teased Clarkson before showing footage of Eaton tearing up the track.
https://twitter.com/thegrandtour/status/941744678470238208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fjalopnik.com%2Fajax%2Finset%2Fiframe%3Fid%3Dtwitter-941744678470238208%26autosize%3D1
But – and it's a crucial but – he failed to name his new colleague during her introductory segment, despite labelling her a "phenomenal driver" and adding "we're delighted to have her on board".
It's an omission some viewers were none too happy about.
https://twitter.com/Halfbeaks/status/941750685535821824
https://twitter.com/greggunner/status/941799537714311168
https://twitter.com/stefthepef/status/941793058290589697
Eaton is a 25-year-old professional racer from England with plenty of experience – including the SAXMAX Championship, GT Cup and British GT Championship.
In contrast, when Skinner was introduced in the series one premiere he was named and his NASCAR credentials were mentioned before he was shown on the track.
Still, the decision to leave Eaton anonymous has not dampened fans' enthusiasm for the show's first female driver:
https://twitter.com/MissMsport/status/941994344910860288
https://twitter.com/NoleneDougan/status/941980745148649472
https://twitter.com/thatSeanBarry/status/941816383456755713
And the woman herself is "loving the new changes" made to the show...
https://twitter.com/AbbieEaton44/status/941752238812422145
The Grand Tour series two continues on Fridays on Amazon Video
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