Rebecca Jackson is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

racing driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...

and

television presenter A television presenter (or television host, some become a "television personality") is a person who introduces or hosts television show, television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. It is common for people ...

, and former

motor dealer A car dealership, or car dealer, is a business that sells new or used cars, at the retail level, based on a dealership contract with an automaker or its sales subsidiary. Car dealerships also often sell spare parts and automotive maintena ...

Early life

Jackson was born in 1982 in

Horndean Horndean is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district, in Hampshire, England, north of Portsmouth. The nearest railway station is southeast of the village at Rowlands Castle. The village had a population of 12,942 at the 20 ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

. Her

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

father restored classic cars and competed in the annual Birkett 6 Hour Team Relay Race at

Silverstone Silverstone is a village and civil parish in the West Northamptonshire unitary authority area of Northamptonshire, England. The village is about south-southwest of Towcester and northeast of Brackley, both accessed via the A43 road, A43 main ...

race circuit, and her mother is a

driving instructor A driving instructor is a person who is hired by a new driver who is learning how to improve their skills - often for an upcoming practical test. Different countries have different rules regarding permits and other regulations. Driving instructors ...

."Rebecca’s At Home Behind the Wheel"
''The News'', Portsmouth, 19 November 2012. Retrieved on: 5 August 2013.Jordan, K. (2013)
"Racer Set for Le Mans 24 Hour Endurance Challenge"
''Get Reading'', Reading, 25 June. Retrieved on 5 August 2013. Jackson learned to drive in a farm in

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

, with her first competitive motorsport a precision driving

autosolo AutoSolo in the United Kingdom is a form of motorsport based around the principles of autotesting, with the main differences being that the tests are run in a forward direction only and are usually slightly faster and more open than traditional a ...

competition which she won. She passed her

driving test A driving test (also known as a driving exam or driver's test in some places) is a procedure designed to test a person's ability to driving, drive a motor vehicle. It exists in various forms worldwide, and is often a requirement to obtain a dr ...

aged 17 after two months of lessons. and purchased her first car – a

Peugeot 205 The Peugeot 205 is a four-passenger, front-engine, supermini ( B-segment) car manufactured and marketed by Peugeot over a sixteen-year production run from 1983 to 1999, over a single generation. Developed from ''Projet'' M24 and introduced on 2 ...

1.4 GR, continuing to use farmland to practise precision driving. Jackson studied

natural science Natural science or empirical science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer ...

for a year at the

University of Bath The University of Bath is a public research university in Bath, England. Bath received its royal charter in 1966 as Bath University of Technology, along with a number of other institutions following the Robbins Report. Like the University ...

, before changing institution to

Bath Spa University Bath Spa University is a public university in Bath, Somerset, Bath, England, with its main campus at Newton Park, about west of the centre of the city. The university has other campuses in the city of Bath, and one at Corsham Court in Wiltshi ...

, graduating in 2004 with a 2:1 degree in

business studies Business studies, often simply called business, is a field of study that deals with the principles of business, management, and economics. It combines elements of accountancy, finance, marketing, organizational studies, human resource manageme ...

Career

Motor trade

Jackson set up a used car business called RJ Internet Showroom in 2007, started with £300 and a

Vauxhall Cavalier The Vauxhall Cavalier is a large family car that was sold primarily in the United Kingdom by Vauxhall Motors, Vauxhall from 1975 to 1995. It was based on a succession of Opel designs throughout its production life, during which it was built in ...

,"Rebecca’s on Fast Track to Success", ''Get Reading'', Reading, 29 March 2013, p. 10. selling budget cars for under £1000.Jones, A. (ed.) (2013) ''The Nth Degree Club Book'', vol. 01, no. 1, Spring 2013, p. 64. Jackson then set-up and managed RJ Prestige Cars, based in Rotherwick near

Hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved/bent back or has a deeply grooved indentation, which serves to grab, latch or in any way attach itself onto another object. The hook's d ...

, Hampshire, with Andrew Arkley.''RJ Prestige Cars''
2013. Retrieved on 5 August 2013. Jackson sold the business in 2016. The business failed to file accounts and was deregistered by companies house in 2020. Lase filed accounts in 2018 show company was bankrupt.

Media

Jackson presented video reviews for

CarBuyer ''Carbuyer'' is a web publication that offers car reviews, news and advice for the British car buyers, with a focus on new rather than used cars. It was launched by Dennis Publishing in 2010, and was first published on 29 October 2010. It is in ...

with co-presenter Mat Watson reviewing features of new cars. In August 2014 she moved to Telegraph Cars,Dennis Publishing
"Car Videos"
''Carbuyer''. Retrieved on 5 August 2013. and then to WhatCar. Jackson writes a motoring blog for the Girlracer website."Rebecca Jackson"
''Girlracer Group'', 2013. Retrieved on 5 August 2013. Jackson and Watson presented the

ITV4 ITV4 is a British free-to-air television channel which first aired on 1 November 2005. It is owned by ITV plc. The channel focuses primarily on general entertainment programming targeting a male audience, including action series and films, ...

consumer show ''I Want That Car'' in autumn of 2013."I Want That Car – Coming Soon to ITV4"
''Carbuyer'', 14 June 2013. Retrieved on 5 August 2013.Anderson, K. (2013)
"Daisybeck Rebrands, lands "I Want That Car" Order"
''Brunico Communications''. Retrieved on: 5 August 2013. It will involve the presenters finding and reviewing cars for the buyers as well as negotiating a selling price."Be On TV"
''ITV'', 2013. Retrieved on 5 August 2013. During the 25th season of

Fifth Gear ''Fifth Gear'' is a British motoring television magazine series which has been broadcast since 2002. Originally shown on Channel 5 from 2002 to 2011 (and branded as ''5th Gear'' until 2005), it began as a continuation of the original version ...

, Jackson served as a "Guest Presenter" on the sixth episode where she and

Tiff Needell Timothy Richard "Tiff" Needell (born 29 October 1951) is a British racing driver and television presenter. He is a presenter of '' Lovecars'', and formerly served as co-presenter of '' Top Gear'' and '' Fifth Gear''. Biography Needell attende ...

took part in the Exeter Trial.

Motorsport

Jackson is a member of

British Racing and Sports Car Club The British Racing and Sports Car Club (BRSCC) is one of the major organisers of motorsport events in the United Kingdom. The club currently runs around thirty circuit racing championships for cars as diverse as Citroën, BMWs and Mazda. Formed i ...

."Results"
''Porsche Racing Drivers Association'', 2013. Retrieved on 5 August 2013.

Project Le Mans: 2013–2016

Autosport International Autosport International is a four-day motorsport event that includes a two-day trade show for industry professionals and a two-day public show. It is held at the National Exhibition Centre, NEC, in Birmingham, United Kingdom and operated by Mo ...

2013, Jackson launched Project Le Mans, her four-year plan of competing in the endurance race. This plan involves winning the British Racing and Sports Car Club (BRSCC)

Porsche Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in luxury, high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Th ...

Production Boxster class championship 2013, which she subsequently won, out of the four drivers in her class. In 2014, year 2, Jackson planned on competing in the higher Race Spec

Porsche Boxster The Porsche Boxster and Cayman are mid-engine two-seater sports cars manufactured and marketed by German automobile manufacturer Porsche across four generations—as a two-door, two-seater roadster (Boxster) and a three-door, two-seater fastbac ...

class and in year 3, the

Porsche 911 GT3 The Porsche 911 GT3 is a high-performance homologation model of the Porsche 911 sports car. It is a range of high-performance models, which began with the 1973 911 Carrera RS. The GT3 has had a successful racing career in the one-make national ...

Cup Challenge. The plan for 2016, the final year of the project is to be racing in the

Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain The Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain is a multi-event one-make motor racing series that takes place in the United Kingdom for the Porsche 911 GT3. Being the fastest and most successful single marque GT championship in the UK, the Carrera Cup ...

and 24 Hours of Le Mans.Jones, J. (2013) "Jackson Aims to be Boxster Thrilled as She Begins Road to Le Mans", ''The News'', Portsmouth, 30 January, p. 37."Round the Bend with Rebecca Jackson", ''Motorsport News'', January 23, 2013, Teddington, p.9.

BRSCC Porsche Championship 2011

Jackson debuted in 2011 in the BRSCC Porsche Championship with Porsche Racing Drivers Association without prior experience of rear wheel drive racing in a 35-year-old white

Porsche 924 The Porsche 924 is a sports car produced by Porsche in Neckarsulm, Germany, from 1976 until 1988. A two-door, 2+2 coupé, the 924 replaced the 912E and 914 as the company's entry-level model. Although the 928 was designed first, the 924 was t ...

and finished 8th of 16.

2012

Racing in the Porsche 924 class for the second season, Jackson finished 4th of 20. Race event 2 at Snetterton is where Jackson achieved her first

race track A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also us ...

win.

2013

For the 2013 season, Jackson progressed to the Porsche Production Boxster class, driving a red

S. She won the class by a large margin with 201 points, where there were 4 in class, coming 19th overall.

GT Cup 2015

Jackson joined ex-BRSCC Porsche racer Mike Sellar to co-drive his 997 Cup in the GTB class of the 2015 season of Porsche GT Cup.

World Record

On 9–10 June 2015 Jackson and fellow Telegraph motoring correspondent Andrew Frankel set a new

Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...

for the highest number of countries visited by car using a single tank of fuel in an

Audi A6 The Audi A6 is an executive car manufactured by the German company Audi since 1994. Now in its fifth generation, the successor to the Audi 100 is manufactured in Neckarsulm, Germany, and is available in saloon and estate configurations, the l ...

: the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein, Germany, Slovenia, Italy, Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Hungary. The event was supported by

Audi Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. A subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide. The origins of the compa ...

and the

RAC RAC or Rac may refer to: Organizations * Radio Amateurs of Canada * RATCH-Australia Corporation, electricity generator * Refugee Action Collective (Victoria), Melbourne, Australia * Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, US * Rent-A-Cent ...

; the pair travelled a total of 1159 miles at an average speed of 49 mph.

Personal life

Jackson also teaches and performs

salsa dancing Salsa is the name for Latin American dances that are danced to salsa music. Salsa is one of the most popular types of Latin dance that is practiced worldwide, and is typically danced with a partner, although there are elements of solo footwork a ...

. She sits on the Steering Group of Global Dance Network and has judged competitions."About Us"
''Global Dance Network'', 2013. Retrieved on 5 August 2013. The regular salsa dancing along with gym workouts and hot yoga are used by Jackson to maintain fitness for races. Jackson also goes

karting Kart racing or karting is a motorsport discipline using open-wheel, four-wheeled vehicles known as go-karts or shifter karts. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits, although some professional kart races are also held on full-size motor ...

and purchased a

Mazda RX-8 The Mazda RX-8 is a sports car manufactured by Japanese automobile manufacturer Mazda between 2003 and 2012. It was first shown in 2001 at the North American International Auto Show#2001, North American International Auto Show. It is the direct s ...

to use for track days. On 20 December 2018, Jackson announced she was pregnant with twin babies. She gave birth to a boy and a girl in February 2019.

References

External links

Official profile at Electric GT
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Rebecca 1982 births Living people Alumni of Bath Spa University Motoring writers English television presenters People from Horndean