Fraser McConnell hunts podium finish at Nitro Rallycross Championship
Jamaican rallycross driver Fraser McConnell is set to compete this Saturday and Sunday as the fourth leg of 2022/2023 Nitro Rallycross Championship gets underway in Los Angeles, California.
The 24-year-old McConnell, who crashed and rolled during Group E qualifying in Minneapolis on the third leg of the competition, managed to recover and take the third spot on October 2.
Standing in his way for top honours this weekend are the Swede Robin Larsson and the Norwegian Andreas Bakkerud, who are on 160 and 141 points, respectively, to occupy first and second place. McConnell currently occupies third place in the standings with 114 points.
McConnell looks forward to the challenge on the iconic Glen Helen Raceway, where cars fly and the track thrills.
“Glen Helen is a track I enjoyed last year. It’s super-fast and almost 100 per cent dirt with eight or nine jumps, so you have to ensure you’re timing the speed right so that when you land, you get as much downhill of the speed as you can. My job is to ensure the car is making the gaps; I can’t wait to get out there.”
Following his crash in Minneapolis, McConnell was quoted as saying,
“It really surprised me, because I’d done so many laps already, I wasn’t expecting it,” he told DirtFish. “And it’s not like we cut the corner — normally if we cut the corner, you know you’ve taken a risk.
“As a race car driver, you always accept the risks of competing at that level and I’m not willing to let a crash affect performance.”
McConnell, who drives for Olsbergs MSE, was quick at Glen Helen last year, but mechanical issues robbed him of a chance of taking any meaningful results.
Coming in fresh from taking his maiden Group E podium finish, he is brimming with confidence and is looking to challenge his European counterparts.
The 2022-23 Nitro Rallycross Championship will see action over 10 legs across the USA, the UK, Sweden, Saudi Arabia, and Canada. The series extends from June 2022 to March 2023.
Action from the series is live on SportsMax at 4:00 pm for local fans while it can also be seen on CNBC in the USA.
