Fraser McConnell has received more accolades from the local motorsports fraternity on the success of his burgeoning international racing career.

He was the recent recipient of both the FIA Americas Award and RJR/Gleaner Sportsman of the Year for Motorsports. McConnell received the news from Stephen Gunter, chairman of Jamaica Millennium Motoring Club (JMMC) during a welcome home event at the AC Marriott Hotel, Kingston.

For 2019, McConnell competed in the ARX2 class of the Americas Rallycross (ARX) Championship and the equivalent in the World Rallycross (WorldRX) Championship, RX2. He secured the ARX2 title while finishing a creditable fourth in RX2 in only his first season in that series. He had further success in WorldRX taking the Fan Favourite award.

The RJR/Gleaner Sportsman of the Year for Motorsports is a local award marking him as the top motorsports personality in the country on the weight of his achievements. The FIA Americas Award gives wider recognition by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the world’s motorsports governing body. This is the second time McConnell has won the award. The first time was in 2017.

Having started in karting McConnell made an early move into the other genres, winning multiple motorsports titles in rally and circuit racing along the way to his switch to the international scene. At 17 he had his first taste of international level motorsports in one of Canada’s toughest events, the Rally of the Tall Pines, where he finished first in the production two-wheel drive class. In 2018 he made his debut in ARX, driving in the ARX2. After leading the class in his rookie year, two poor results had him finish fourth overall. For 2019 he joined the series full-time for the Dirtfish Rallycross team and pulled double duty driving in the WorldRX RX2 class as well.

McConnell hopes to secure the sponsorship to take him through 2020 and beyond.

— Article written by NicholaBeckford