Supercars: Declan Fraser's rise driven by curiosity

Ahead of round four at Symmons Plains, the rookie driver is hoping to put his best foot forward as he builds experience at the highest level of Australian motorsport.

The 23-year-old was born in Castlemaine, Victoria, grew up in Albury-Wodonga until he was eight, before moving to the North Queensland city of Mackay.

Having momentarily returned to the town of his birth while he searches for a house in Melbourne, Fraser explained his relationship to racing as a kid.

"Dad was actually a motorsport teacher back when we were living in Albury and then when we moved to Mackay he asked me if I wanted to race a go-kart," he said.

"So I've always been around it and once I got into karting one thing led to another, we ended up going overseas a couple times to represent Australia in karting and then moved up into the Toyota GT-86s when I was 16."

READ MORE: Matt Payne, David Reynolds gearing up for Supersprint at Symmons Plains

Moving into a car presented the first challenge for the then-teenager, who initially decided he would continue karting simultaneously.

"I just didn't do a good enough job at either of them, because we were so packed in with the amount of racing that I was doing and the different styles you need between the two," Fraser admitted.

"It probably wasn't until my second year in the '86 series, where I decided that I was just going to focus on driving a car and that was going to be my sole purpose."

The decision paid off. Fraser found a new gear and began challenging drivers at the pointy end of the grid.

He recalls a particular weekend at Talem Bend, South Australia, which he remembers fondly.

"I went from probably 20th on the grid and then the next race I think I was third, we set the lap-record at that round and I think it still holds to this day," he said.

The weekend proved to be an indicator of his rapid rise in the years to come, with COVID-19 not able to stop his progress, even if it did prevent him from racing at Albert Park in 2020.

"I got to actually practice on the track a couple years ago in a TCR when the whole world went into lockdown," Fraser recounted.

"I was actually sitting on the grid about to go out for my race when the announcement came through from the government that the F1 had to stop and all sport had to stop as well, it was a really weird day."

Race abandonment aside, Fraser had moved himself into the Super2, which is the category directly below Australia's premier motorsport series.

Driving for the strong Triple Eight team, which houses the likes of reigning two-time Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen, Fraser used all the experience around him to his advantage.

"Last year was massive for me ... I decided that I would really invest my time, effort, money, everything that I've accrued over the past couple of years into the season to make sure that I could put myself in the best position to win that championship and then move up into the main game," he said.

"When I got to the Gold Coast, I went into the team and I went to every single event - even when I wasn't racing - just so I could learn off of the main-game drivers at that time and I learned so much."

Fraser did exactly what he set out to do, beating out Cameron Hill and Matt Payne to claim the championship. He believed his willingness to learn was what set him apart.

"I learned so much and it was my curiosity that got me into that position, because I wanted to learn, I just wanted to figure out how these guys were going so bloody quick."

Fraser's first taste at the big level could easily be described as a baptism of fire, with a wildcard entry allowing him race in the Bathurst 1000 with legend Craig Lowndes, who has won the marathon race seven times.

"I get a shiver down my spine every single time I hear about that, even now, I still pinch myself every day that it happened," Fraser said.

"He's someone that I grew up watching my whole career and I never thought I would get the opportunity to race against him, let alone race with him and I learned so much through that whole experience."

Making the step up as a full-time Supercars driver in 2023, Fraser has been driving a Ford Mustang with Tickford Racing, and has thus far managed a top-10 finish.

Heading to Symmons Plains next weekend, Fraser is excited to take on the infamous hairpin.

"The hairpin is really well known for probably some of the biggest shunts that some people have had in their careers and it just makes the racing so fierce because it's such a hot-spot for passing," he said.

"There's a bunch of different lines that you can take through that corner and thankfully I've now got Craig in my back pocket to give me a hand here and there."

Another key aspect to a successful weekend will be qualifying, according to Fraser.

"The track density is so high and it's such a small circuit that you can trip over each other out on the circuit because you're trying to find track space," he said.

"It puts a massive emphasis on getting the perfect lap in qualifying and making sure that when you get that track position in the race you can hold on to it."

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