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At 22 years of age, there Declan Fraser was, standing on the grid ahead of his debut in the Great Race.
He believed he would always get there, but not this early in his career. And he didn’t expect to be sharing a Supercheap Auto-backed wildcard with seven-time Bathurst 1000 winner and sporting icon Craig Lowndes, competing for Triple Eight Race Engineering.
Years of hard work had led to this moment and it was time for the crescendo: 161 laps of Mount Panorama against the elite of the Supercars Championship.
At the end of it, the pair finished eighth the best-ever result for a one-off entry at the Bathurst 1000.
One moment that sticks in Declan’s memory from a weekend he called a “blur”, is the recreation of a photo with Lowndes, 17 years on (pictured above).
Speedcafe.com spoke with the current Dunlop Super2 Series points leader about the biggest day in his career.
SPEEDCAFE: Your head was probably running at about a million miles per hour at Bathurst, but have you been able to reflect on the weekend yet?
DECLAN FRASER: I’ve definitely had some time now to sort of just think about what the whole event meant and being able to set history with some very iconic brands — Triple Eight and Supercheap Auto — it was definitely special. To pair up with my racing idol was pretty cool; got to re-create a photo that was a 17-year difference – everything comes back in circles. I learned so much over the weekend and had such a great time, and now I have just got a couple of days to think about it before we start getting into the prep for Adelaide [final round of Super2].
SC: Did you ever think that you would be where you were on Sunday?
DF: I always imagined that I’d be in the Bathurst 1000 in some capacity. Did I ever think that it would be my first-ever time with Craig Lowndes and Triple Eight? Definitely not. It was honestly a dream come true. I always had the vision that I’d make it and to finally get there at such an early stage in my career, but also with such a high-end team straightaway… It’s honestly meant so much to not only me, but also my family and all my previous sponsors from right back in go-karts, through [Toyota] 86s, Super3, and Super2, who got me to where I am now. It’s all finally starting to pay off.
SC: Did it feel like the weekend went really fast?
DF: Yeah. There was so much lead up to the event, months upon months of media and making sure that I was prepped on test days and building a connection with Lowndesy and the team to make sure that we were fully prepped for the race. And then it was just over in the blink of an eye. It’s funny that so many people have said to me, ‘you won’t realise how quick the race goes when you’re actually in it’. As Craig crossed the finish line, I shed a little tear. I was like, ‘holy crap, I’ve I’ve just finished my first ever Bathurst 1000 with Lowndesy and we’re inside the top eight and just set history.’
SC: Did sharing with Craig feel natural, or did you still feel like you were a young kid racing with your idol at some points?
DF: It felt very natural. He was so influential in the way that I went about the week and even the lead-up to it with my Super2 events and stuff. So for me, I wasn’t a little fanboy that was just ‘oh my god, I’m racing with my idol’. His partner, Lara, was helping me out as well. For me, it was just a very cool experience to have someone who I looked up to as a kid, to now being partnered with in a race.
SC: What did you learn from Craig?
DF: I think it was more about driving and the consistency needed in the race to be out the front — that was a very big learning curve. In Super2, we don’t really get too many long races, so to do the double stints and getting back in and getting straight back on the pace… there were just so many little things that I haven’t ever experienced. Also the stuff outside of the car, the way that Craig went about it when he rocked up to the event, the way that he went about it with the fans, the supporters, the sponsors, the media commitments, everything. He was amazing on that side and helped me get through the week mentally as well.
SC: Has it been a shock to you learning about the commitments Supercars drivers have outside of actually driving?
DF: I think I was very lucky that I started to learn that from a very young age. When I first went over to Las Vegas for go-karts, my dad always said to me ‘if you want to go over you need to find half the money’. He sent me in a suit and tie to go door-knocking on businesses and just going to meet people. So I think I learned that from a very young age, which I am super grateful for my parents that sort of pushed me into that situation. Then for Lowndesy to come through and refine everything and make sure that everything was perfect — it’s been a massive learning experience.
SC: Of course, Craig was mentored by Peter Brock, and now Craig is your mentor. Has he taught you lessons he learned from Brock?
DF: Yeah, definitely. I think it’s more the way that he engages with the fans and stuff. When our signing sessions are limited to one piece per fan and he ends up signing five things… he just always connects with each and every person. He doesn’t just sign it and send them on their way. It was cool to learn that; obviously, I love interacting with everyone that comes out to support us, so knowing that you can be very personal with each and every supporter that comes out to support us, that was very cool.
