Mackay’s Declan Fraser competes in Bathurst 1000 with idol Craig Lowndes

After making Bathurst history as the highest place wildcard driver ever, Declan Fraser opened up about life before the car, and his family playing the most important role in his development.

A young Declan Fraser ready to go ahead of a race on the series

For Declan Fraser it’s always been about racing.

The 21-year-old Mackay man knew his life belonged on the tarmac, and along with his family set out on a journey to realise that childhood dream.

Alongside his idol Craig Lowndes, Fraser made his debut on Australia’s fastest track at the Bathurst 1000 from October 6-9, but the journey to achieving the feat was long.

The passion for racing hit close to home for Fraser, with his father being an instructor at a variety of different schools across his young childhood in Victoria, moving from his birthplace of Castlemaine to the border city of Albury/Wodonga for work.

After some years spent in country Victoria the Fraser family moved north to Mackay, and at the age of seven Declan found himself in a totally new environment but with the same passion of ripping along any roads he could get his hands on.

“Hopefully the police don’t come after me after telling you this stuff,” said Fraser, who detailed beginning his racing on the industrial roads of Paget, setting up cones and giving the streets a thrashing before making the official leap to go karting.

Wildcard entrant Declan Fraser prepares for his Bathurst 1000 debut

Fraser and his family realised his potential and set out to maximise his opportunities, beginning to travel interstate as frequently as possible so the young driver could get his shot at the best competition available.

Starting out primarily funded by his family, Fraser began to attract attention toward the age of 13 from sponsors and businesses, however it was an invitation to compete in Las Vegas that taught him some life lessons he carries to this day in the industry.

‘If you want to go, you have to raise half the money yourself’ his father told him, which was a tough ask for anyone let alone a 13-year-old trying to make his way to America.

“I put on my suit and tie and got door knocking,” Fraser said.

“I’d say something like ‘can I please speak to the managing director’ … make it sound quite fancy as a young bloke.”

His confident approach paid off, with Thommo Tyres being the first to jump on-board as a sponsor, and many others in the Mackay community soon following suit.

Declan Fraser and Craig Lowndes ahead of the Bathurst 1000

“Red hot couriers, DJH … I've had so much support from the Mackay community to get me to where I am at the moment,” he said.

Fraser made it to Las Vegas to mix it with the world’s best, and in doing so came to realise this ambition might not be so crazy after all.

In what he described as an ‘eye opening’ experience, the trip to Vegas cemented in his mind one thing - “we’re gonna make a career out of this, we’re gonna get somewhere with it”.

As he returned from the trip with renewed confidence, Fraser jumped from go karting to the 86 Series in 2016, a switch he believed would come naturally to him given his success behind the wheel in the US.

“We thought we could get into the car and just dominate,” said Fraser, who was behind the wheel driving 200km/hr at Bathurst at the same moment he got his learner’s permit to drive in suburbia.

After battling through the 86 Series in his first year, Fraser sought help after feeling like he wasn't living up to how good he could be, venturing down to see Paul Norris on the Gold coast.

Mr Norris’ goal was to teach Fraser not only how to get the most out of his car but also out of himself, trying to eliminate mistakes.

It didn't take long.

After one session Fraser went from blowing up an engine to breaking a course record and coming into his own in terms of confidence, continuing to find success at the 86 Series level before making the jump to team Holdens 888 in the Super2 series.

It seems Supercars are all about two things, confidence and execution and thankfully for Fraser he is rarely short on either, coming into his Super2 career with the opportunity to live out a childhood dream.

After multiple podiums appearances and dominant race displays, Fraser was called into the office by team principal and racing royalty Jamie Wincupp to have a chat mid-season, one that even Fraser was nervous about.

“I was shi--ing myself,” Fraser said.

As Wincupp told him he had been given the nod to race at Bathurst alongside legend Craig Lowndes as a wildcard, he couldn't believe it.

‘Are you gonna say anything, did you hear what I said?’ Fraser recalled Wincupp saying.

Despite suffering a heavy crash at last year’s Bathurst 1000 in the Super 2s due to a loose tyre nut, Fraser didn't even hesitate getting back on the course, citing the importance of the trust he had in his team to get the car ready.

“I got straight back on the horse,” he said.

Finishing the race this year was impressive enough given the chaos that happened early, but to finish in eight place, the highest ever by a wildcard driver in the race’s 64-year history, capped it off.

Fraser’s impact was enormous and he admitted there was only a short-lived period where he actually took the time to realise just what he was doing as he made his way around the famous racecourse.

“Holy crap I'm actually doing this,” he recounted thinking.

“I’ve found where I think I need to be.”

Fraser said without the consistent love and support of his family, he wouldn’t be the athlete or man he was today.

“Whatever I do it’s also for them as well,” he said.

While currently without a seat in the Supercar Series next year, Fraser’s name has been splashed all over the racing world, and he is eager to get to any team that is best suited to him.

“We proved what we needed to prove,” Fraser said, bullish about an opportunity to continue racing and reach his eventual goal of taking out both Bathurst and the Supercar series itself, a rarity only the best have ever achieved.

“If you’re trying to make a career out of something don’t be afraid to stand out … never give up, always make sure you are focused on the end goal is.”