Rebecca Jackson (presenter)

Early life

Jackson was born in 1982 in Horndean, Hampshire, where she had her first insight into motorsport as a child. Her engineer father restored classic cars and competed in the annual Birkett 6 Hour Team Relay Race at Silverstone race circuit and her mother is a driving instructor.

It is in Devon that Jackson first learned to drive, before she was old enough to drive on the road, using nearby farmland that was often used for racing. Jackson got her driving license aged 17 after two months of lessons and purchased her first car – a Peugeot 205 1.4 GR, continuing to use farmland to practise precision driving. Jackson’s first taste of competitive motorsport was a grasstrack autosolo race which she won.

Education

Jackson attended university in Somerset, studying natural science for one year at the University of Bath before changing institution, graduating in 2004 with a 2:1 degree in business studies from Bath Spa University College.

Career

Jackson set up a used car business called RJ Internet Showroom in 2007, selling budget cars for under £1000. This was started with £300 and a Vauxhall Cavalier. Jackson has built this up to a higher end company, RJ Prestige Cars, which has included Land Rover, Porsche and Mercedes in the stock list of cars for sale[1] and also offers other services such as consultancy. The company is based in Reading where Jackson lives.

Presenting

Jackson presented video reviews for CarBuyer with co-presenter Mat Watson reviewing features of new cars. In August 2014 she moved to Telegraph Cars.

ITV4 debuted the consumer based car show I Want That Car in autumn of 2013. The show was a ten episode series where Jackson and CarBuyer co-presenter Mat Watson helped two buyers in each episode find the car they want within their budget. The show was not picked up again for a second series. It will involve the presenters finding and reviewing cars for the buyers as well as negotiating a selling price.

During the 25th season of Fifth Gear, Jackson served as a "Guest Presenter" on the sixth episode where she and Tiff Needell took part in the Exeter Trial.

Writing

Jackson writes a motoring blog for the Girlracer website

World Record

On 9–10 June 2015 Rebecca and fellow motoring correspondent Andrew Frankel set a new Guinness World Record for the highest number of countries visited by car using a single tank of fuel in an Audi A6: the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein, Germany, Slovenia, Italy, Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Hungary. The event was supported by Audi and the RAC; the pair travelled a total of 1159 miles at an average speed of 49 mph.

Motorsport

Jackson is a member of British Racing and Sports Car Club.

Project Le Mans: 2013–2016

Racing at 24 Hours of Le Mans is a dream of Jackson's. At Autosport International 2013, she 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 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 class and in year 3, the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Challenge. The plan for 2016, the final year of the project is to be racing in the Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain and 24 Hours of Le Mans.

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 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 win.

2013

For the 2013 season, Jackson progressed to the Porsche Production Boxster class, driving a red Porsche Boxster S. She won the class by a large margin with 201 points, where there were 4 in class, coming 19th overall.

GT Cup 2015

Rebecca joined ex-BRSCC Porsche racer Mike Sellar to co-drive his 997 Cup in the GTB class of the 2015 season of GT Cup. The car is run by Quinntech Racing and continues to be title sponsored by Turtle Wax UK.

Personal life

Outside of motorsport, Jackson also teaches and performs salsa dancing. She sits on the Steering Group of Global Dance Network and has judged competitions. The regular salsa dancing along with gym workouts and hot yoga are used by Jackson to maintain fitness for races.

Jackson also goes karting and purchased a Mazda RX-8 to use for track days.