Abbie Eaton's blog

I only finished 3rd overall in the Mini Scholarship, which on reflection is not bad out of 100+ men. But it will have a huge knock on effect for racing this year unless we win the lottery or find a sponsor.

But for anyone to follow their dream there are always up?s and down?s so I?ve just got to keep my goals in mind and try to find a sponsor.

Congratulations to Joey Powis and his family on winning the scholarship on the 3rd try. To finish 2nd last year to Rob Boston must have been heart breaking.

Also congratulations to Mantvydas Sileika for coming 2nd.

Marc and Lisa at Double 6 racing should be congratulated for running a well organised scholarship and also thanks to Micky, Phil and Colin for their instructing.

I guess things can only get better from now on.

Just a quick update to tell you that I?ve made it into the Double Six Racing Scholarship for the Mini Challenge.

Originally the final was supposed to be for the last 10 but the competitors in 10th, 11th and 12th place had the same scores so the organisers decided to increase the final to the last 12.

So I?m keeping everything crossed for tomorrow in the hope that I win the scholarship and race in the Mini Challenge!

Hi Racers,

Things have been pretty quiet on the racing front for 2009. The only interesting piece of information is that i have entered the competition to win a supported drive in the Clio Scholarship this year.

I?ve managed to get to the semi-finals (the last 24 from 100+ entered). The semi-final is on the 25th February and the final (the last 10 drivers) the following day.

Unfortunately due to the current economic climate a lower number of people have entered the scholarship, this has meant that the prize has been changed to a drive in the Mini Challenge.

So wish me luck and I?ll try my best to win!

I?ve always hated the off season from racing! I find myself twiddling my thumbs not knowing what to do, more so this year as the car is still damaged.

However I still have my kart and decided it would be a laugh to go to PFI Kart Track on a practice day.
It was very cold but the racing atmosphere was still there and it gave me such a buzz!

I settled back into Karting mode very easily, and after a few changes to the kart, was on the pace.

So that was my dose of motorsport for the winter!

We are still unsure as to what the plans for 2009 are but the way things are going at the moment economically, it?s looking as though racing this year is not going to be an option, which is very upsetting considering the progress I made the past few years! I?m just keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the best!

Happy New Year everyone!

We tested on Thursday in an old spec Clio, and i gelled with it instantly. The car is amazing. It?s got loads of grip and the horsepower is great! So hopefully we will get a budget together and race in Clios next year!

Anyway, onto the first race of the weekend… the race was very fraught with many incidents due to my competitors trying to gain as many points as possible for their championship positions.

We were having problems with the car and other issues which meant we qualified down in 5th. So i went into the race with “you can only go forward” in my head. I got a good start and then i can honestly say i don?t know the positions i was in; the racing was very close and competitive. People were changing and swapping positions all the time and then the race was red flagged due to circumstances im still not aware of.

On the restart i made it up to 3rd and once again was swapping positions throughout the race. The end result was 3rd, which i was very happy with as this puts me in a good position for 3rd in the championship overall.

So tomorrow i?m looking for a decent finish and hopefully securing 3rd in the championship.

Speak soon!

This weekend is the last meeting of the season and I can?t wait!

It?s a double header at Snetterton, the weather looks good and with P9 Raceshop paying for me to test on the Friday the outlook is promising.

I currently lie 4th in the championship, however 3rd on drop rounds. I need to have two high finishes to secure 3rd place, which I know I?m fully capable of, so it?s just a case of getting focused and going for gold!

I?ll post another blog after the weekend, but until then, fingers crossed!

Abbie

Hello guys and girls, here goes my first blog entry!

My name is Abbie Eaton, and I?m 16 and currently studying A levels in maths, chemistry, biology and photography at college. I do a lot of sport and enjoy going to the gym, which is a plus as I know how vital fitness is for racing. I have a personal trainer who increases and adds challenges to my fitness regime to build up my stamina and strength.

I currently race in the SAXMAX championship for 14-17 year olds using a Citroen Saxo VTR. However my roots in motorsport started before I was even born! My father, Paul Eaton, used to race in karts, bikes, and the very popular Eurocar V8 and V6 series. I went to my first race meeting at only 2 months old! So you could say I?ve got motorsport in my blood!

After my dad unofficially retired from racing I kept pestering him for a go-kart, and on my 10th birthday I got the best birthday present, a comer cadet. I moved up the classes from Minimax to Junior max and had numerous podiums and good finishes however after my 4th year I wanted a new challenge. My dad asked me if I wanted to do SAXMAX, and I jumped at the chance!

My first year in SAXMAX was basically just to learn the tracks and how to drive a car! I progressed through the season and became a top 5 competitor mid/late season, so all in all I was very pleased with how the season had gone.

I went into my second year in SAXMAX with the intention of trying to win the championship. The season has gone well so far, a few ups and downs but I?m still optimistic for a top 3 finish in the championship.

Next year I hope to race in the Renault Clio Cup Championship, but this is purely down to sponsors etc, however fingers crossed everything will go according to plan!

My future ambitions are to be a works driver in the British Touring Car, World Touring Car, or DTM Championships, either of which would be a dream come true.

If you want to find out more about me go to my website at http://www.abbieeaton.com or contact me personally on abbieeatonracing@hotmail.com.

Speak Soon!

(My SAXMAX car is for sale, to see full details go to http://www.racedandrallied.com/detail.php?siteid=809&show_still=1 )