A ‘GENERATION NEXT’ racer got his taste of top-level rallying and performed commendably at the DRC Tru-Juice RallySprint double-header, Bog Walk, St Catherine last Sunday.

Fifteen-year-old karter Fraser McConnell, in his Mitsubishi Mirage RS, won his JA3 class. He was running fifth overall, ahead of some established names, when mechanical issues brought his day to an end.

“It was a completely different experience in handling, power, and outright speed to my karts,” McConnell told Auto.

After five years of karting, the event was his first behind the wheel of a fully-prepared competition car and in a setting far away from the pristine grip a tarmac circuit normally provides. A fact that didn’t bother him, given his unofficial experience with gravel surfaces and the venue.

He is son of Peter McConnell, managing director of Trade Winds Citrus, owners of the Bybrook Orchard, where the Rallysprint was being held.

“I’ve been driving these roads since I was four years old with my father,” he said, confirming that racing on low-grip gravel was not a problem for him.

Despite being so far from his usual environment, McConnell’s competitiveness — honed from years of karting — came through.

“The plan is to go to Dover. But there’s no rush,” McConnell said.

— Rory Daley