Inside a ‘gut-wrenching’ 24 hour lead-in to Bathurst for Declan Fraser

On Saturday Declan Fraser’s Gold Coast home was destroyed in a house fire, the next day he was racing around Mount Panorama in the Bathurst 1000. He takes REBECCA WILLIAMS inside the ‘gut-wrenching’ 24 hours.

Brad Jones Racing co-driver Declan Fraser has opened up on his “devastating” build-up to the Bathurst 1000 after learning the day before the race that the house he lived in on the Gold Coast had burned down.

Speaking immediately after the race at Mount Panorama on Sunday, Fraser said his primary concern had been for the safety of the family friends he lived with at the Hope Island home.

Fraser revealed he had been told about the blaze at lunchtime on Saturday and then had to regroup for the race with the help of his sports psychologist.

The fire has left Fraser without anywhere to stay after he returns from racing in Sydney next weekend, losing his clothes and sentimental racing memorabilia from his racing career.

The 24-year-old, who finished the race in 16th position alongside Andre Heimgartner, said it had been a “gut-wrenching” build-up to the race.

“It’s been a wild 24 hours …. I found out yesterday in the middle of the day and that was pretty gut-wrenching,” Fraser said.

“My main concern was the people I live with there, who own the house, I was just renting it off of them. They were in the house at the time that it happened.

Declan Fraser’s house was burned down during the week. Picture: QAS

“They got out all safe, which I am very, very grateful for .... for them to get out safely is remarkable, I think it was a very quick fire that happened. That was my main concern over everything.

“They are some very good family friends of ours, who I moved in with when I left Melbourne and came to Gold Coast. I have lived with them for about six months now.

“It’s absolutely devastating for them because it’s their house and their whole life in there as well and also my life as well.

“I’m very glad that they’re OK. The items can be replaced, but it’s pretty gut-wrenching.”

Fraser said there had been conversations with his family about whether he should be told about the fire before the race, but after news of the blaze broke, it was shared with him.

The 2022 Super2 champion turned to the help of a sports psychologist to help him process the news and focus on his job at Mount Panorama.

Andre Heimgartner and Declan Fraser cam 16th in the Bathurst 1000. Picture: Getty Images

“A lot of hours on the phone to my sports psych got me through it,” Fraser said.

“The biggest thing is just trying to refocus and do the best job I could.

“The plan was to bring home a trophy for them, but obviously just a few things in the race didn’t go our way and luck wasn’t on our side.

“It was all over the news so they (my family) decided that it would be best to tell me early so I had time to process it.

“So they told me yesterday around lunchtime … if it was up to me I would not have wanted to know until post-race, but it was all over the news and I had a lot of people messaging me, basically 10 minutes after my parents told me.

“I was probably lucky they told me when they did.”

Bathurst 2024 co-driver Declan Fraser.

Fraser said he had lost a lot of material possessions, as well as personal racing memorabilia, but he hoped he might be able to get replicas of his trophies made.

“I have lost a lot of my memories and possessions, but nothing that can’t be replaced at the end of the day. It’s still absolutely devastating, you don’t really think about these things until they happen,” Fraser said.

“I’ve got a week still away from home until I can get home and really process it, but at the moment my concern was their safety and they’re all safe, which is a good thing.

“Trophies and stuff I can always get replicas and stuff made, but it’s the helmets that I’ve had since I was a kid racing, all that stuff is gone.

It was a devastating lead up to the Great Race for Fraser. Picture: QAS

“All the trivial stuff, like all my clothes, I have a suitcase now, which is nice. But it’s just mainly the trophies, simulator, memorabilia from my racing career and stuff that I had, lucky my family have got a couple of other things.

“Hopefully trophies and stuff can be replaced.”

Fraser has GT racing at Sydney Motorsport Park next weekend, but is unsure where he will stay when he returns to the Gold Coast after that.

“I have got to stay down here for the week, do that race and head home,” Fraser said.

“I have a lot of friends on the Gold Coast so I might just have to couch surf for a bit and then figure it out. See what happens.”

Originally published as Inside a ‘gut-wrenching’ 24 hour lead-in to Bathurst for Declan Fraser