Fraser reacts to ‘gut-wrenching’ pre-Bathurst 1000 fire

Fraser’s build-up to the Great Race was rocked early on Saturday afternoon by news that his Gold Coast home had been entirely destroyed by fire.

Thankfully the property owners, family friends who rent Fraser a room, were able to escape the inferno without any serious injuries.

However the blaze cost Fraser all of his possessions except what he has with him in Bathurst.

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

“My main concern was the people who I live with there, who own the house. They were in the house at the time when it happened. They got out of the house all safe which I am very, very grateful for.

“I think Darren got some burns to his face and a bit to his hair. For them to get out safe was remarkable, I think it was a very quick fire that happened.

“I’ve lost a lot of my memories and possessions. Nothing that can’t be replaced at the end of the day, but it’s still absolutely devastating. You don’t really think about these things until they happen.”

According to Fraser the most painful loss is memorabilia from his career, in particular old helmets.

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

“Then the trivial stuff like all my clothes. I have a suitcase [left] now. But it’s mainly the trophies, simulator, all the memorabilia from my racing career.

“All of that stuff, trophies can be replaced but that’s the stuff that hurts.”

A Nine News report suggested that the fire was started while a property owner was working on a motorcycle, however Fraser said he had deliberately not asked too many details.

“I actually have tried to not ask too many questions, I’ve just been trying to process it and focus on the race,” he said. “I had a conversation with Darren and Di, but it was more to talk about [their] safety.”

Fraser explained that it took outside help to ensure he could focus on the Bathurst race.

“A lot of hours on the phone to my sport psych got me through it,” he said. “The biggest thing is just trying to refocus and do the best job I can.

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

He also revealed that there had been a conversation about keeping the news secret until after the race, however the public nature of the fire, and subsequent news coverage, took that option off the table.

“There was a conversation had between my family, but it was all over the news,” he said.

“So they decided that it would be best to tell me early so I had time to process it. So they told me yesterday about lunchtime, when the incident had happened.

“If it was up to me, I wouldn’t 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 minuets after my parents told me, so I was lucky they told me when they did.”

Fraser is set to stay in Sydney until the GT World Challenge Australia round at Sydney Motorsport Park next weekend, however his future once he returns to Queensland is unclear.

“I have no idea,” he said when asked where he will live. “I have a lot of friends on the Gold Coast, so I might just have to couch surf for a bit and figure it out. We’ll see what happens.”

Fraser and Andre Heimgartner finished the Bathurst 1000 in 16th in their Brad Jones Racing Camaro.