As we reach part four of our season review, the focus now turns to our contingent of British drivers. Introduced at Lydden Hill, this quartet stuck around for much of the season and put in some rather memorable performances.
Andrew Jordan
When Andrew Jordan made his TitansRX debut on Home turf at Lydden Hill, there were high expectations. The British Touring Car Championship star claimed a debut podium at the very same track in the World Championship back in 2014.
After mechanical troubles kept him out of the semi-finals on the first day, he secured third place in round four, then backed that up with a second in round five in Montalegre. He made three more semi-final appearances in Portugal and Austria – the latter two races at the MJP Arena coming as he battled illness.
Ultimately Jordan’s TitansRX campaign was a brief one, but while he was here he proved himself as one of the best drivers to take it to the title challengers.
Best result: Second – Round 5, Montalegre
Abbie Eaton
Unlike Andrew Jordan, the rest of TitansRX’s British drivers in 2019 entered the series with no prior rallycross experience.
That didn’t faze Abbie Eaton who was often right on the pace when she competed at Lydden Hill, MJP Arena, Nyirad, and Estering. Sadly for the Grand Tour star, horrendous luck plagued Eaton’s season, with strong results often being robbed right from her when they were within reach.
Her best result of the season came in Hungary when she scored a fine fifth in the second race there after multiple hard-fought battles over the course of the weekend. While that proved to be a high point, things were almost even better two weeks later.
At the final weekend of the season in Germany Eaton was proving to be more than a match for rallycross veterans Timmy Hansen and Kevin Eriksson – even lapping faster than both at times – but a roll took away a probably semi victory and certain final berth.
Best result: Fifth – Round 10, Nyirad
Oliver Webb
Oliver Webb has raced at Le Mans, Indianapolis, and Monaco, so naturally a partial campaign in a hotly-contested rallycross series was an unusual step for the Manchester-born driver.
You wouldn’t have guessed that he’d never driven on dirt, with four-wheel-drive and a handbrake though. Right away on his debut at Lydden Hill Webb claimed fourth place. With more gravel-based courses following, Webb didn’t make the finals, but continued to impress by making the semi-final stage in all but one of his appearances over the course of the season.
At the season finale in Germany Webb, like Eaton was set for a season-defining result. He was even confident of a podium thanks to a favourable semi-final starting spot and the mixed weather conditions. Sadly, while leading his semi-final he was hit from behind by Andeas Steffen. The incident took away any chance of the semi victory, and left him narrowly missing out on a final berth. Nevertheless, the speed was there.
Best result: Fourth – Round 3, Lydden Hill
Perry McCarthy
Back in the game after years on the sidelines, Perry McCarthy returned to competitive motorsport in TitansRX this year. Rarely seen without a huge smile on his face, McCarthy took to his new challenge full of enthusiasm.
The former-Formula 1 and Le Mans driver grew in speed and confidence over the course of the season, becoming a sure bet for a semi-final berth by the latter stages of the season.
An interesting storyline that developed over the year was the friendly rivalry between McCarthy and Eaton. The pair were not only close off track, but on it too, engaging in some of the most entertaining battles of the year whenever they were drawn together.
Sadly, an injury sustained after a crash at Nyirad cut his campaign short, but given the progress he shown from Lydden Hill to the Hungarian event, and the strong performances of Eaton and Webb in Germany, McCarthy would have likely had a breakthrough at the Estering had he been able to make it.
Best result: Seventh – Round 4, Lydden Hill
