• Latest
  • Trending

First podium in America giving Billy Frazer all the confidence he needs

March 7, 2022

SVG Reigns Again: Shane van Gisbergen wins Chicago NASCAR Cup Race to complete historic weekend sweep

July 7, 2025

Norris triumphs in chaotic British Grand Prix as McLaren secures historic 1-2 finish, Lawson DNF in lap 1 incident

July 7, 2025

Motorsport mourns the loss of Tim Miles after tragic accident

July 6, 2025

Van Gisbergen goes back-to-back on the streets of Chicago in Xfinity thriller

July 6, 2025

SVG storms to pole for NASCAR Xfinity Chicago Street Race

July 6, 2025

Verstappen snatches British GP pole in tight Silverstone shootout, Lawson out in Q1

July 6, 2025

Strong signs for Ferrari and Racing Bulls ahead of qualifying

July 6, 2025

Zeltwanger completes dominant day with race win

July 5, 2025
2025, QUEENSLAND, NEW ZEALAND, , 
WORLD COPYRIGHT: TAYLER BURKE
_SAT4374.CR3

Neck-and-Neck in the Dust: Paddon vs Bates lights up Rally Queensland

July 5, 2025

Lando Norris leads the pack as Racing Bulls shine again in British GP FP2

July 5, 2025

Close racing expected at Manfeild in Toyota 86 Trophy Series

July 5, 2025
Monday, July 7, 2025
VelocityNews
Subscribe
  • International
    • Formula 1
    • Formula 2
    • Formula 3
    • Formula E
    • Esports
    • Super GT
    • Super Formula
    • TCR
    • WEC
    • GT
    • Porsche Carrera Cup
    • BTCC
    • DTM
    • IMSA
    • IndyCar
    • Road to Indy
    • NASCAR
    • WRC
    • MotoGP
    • Motorcycle Racing
    • Historic Racing
  • New Zealand
    • Toyota Formula Regional
    • Toyota GR86 Championship
    • Rally
    • Speedway
    • Drifting
    • Formula Ford
    • Formula First
    • TCR NZ
    • TransTasman V8 Series
    • V8 Utes
    • GT New Zealand Championship
    • GTRNZ
    • Central Muscle Cars
    • Pirelli Porsche
    • Mazda Racing Series
    • NZ Endurance Championship
    • NIERDC
    • SIERDC
    • Pro8 South Island Series
    • SsangYong Utes
    • Kartsport
    • NZ Historic Racing
    • NZ General
  • Australia
    • Supercars
    • Super2
    • Australian V8 Touring Car Series
    • Porsche Carrera Cup Australia
    • Porsche Sprint Challenge
    • S5000
    • Australian GT
    • TCR AU
  • Features
    • Features
    • Opinion
    • Profile
    • Race Cars
  • Circuit News
  • Velocity TV
  • Performance Cars
  • Jobs
    • Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Job Dashboard
No Result
View All Result
VelocityNews
No Result
View All Result

First podium in America giving Billy Frazer all the confidence he needs

by Zane Shackleton
March 7, 2022
in IndyCar, International, News
0

It may have been a WhatsApp phone call, but you could almost hear how big the grin was on Billy Frazer after starting his sophomore USF2000 season off with a podium.

After two races in St Petersburg, Florida, Frazer is second in the drivers’ championship.

He got a mega start in race one to bolt into podium contention, eventually finishing second.

Race two was your typical street circuit wreck fest. But Frazer cunningly survived the carnage to finish sixth, bagging even more points.

“It’s a strong start to the championship, for sure,” he said.

“If that P6 in race two is the worst result we have this year, I’m not complaining.”

St Pete is no easy track to begin the year with. It’s bumpy, has some fast straights, and is fenced in by several hundred tonnes of concrete wall.

One mistake and it can be race over.

It also places plenty of importance on practice, of which drivers only get a limited amount of time to find their bearings.

But none of that matters when your engine doesn’t want to play nice.

“The team did a great job and did an engine change overnight,” Frazer said. A throttle issue meant he could only manage a handful of laps in practice.

“But I found [the track] easier this year. Even with missing practice, the experience from last year helped me massively.

“You notice the walls less and focus more on the things that matter. [The walls] soon become just exits of corners.”

Frazer left it late in qualifying to post a competitive time. He would start from the third row for race one but down in 12th for race two.

And while it may have only been the first of 18 races this year, deep down, Frazer knew he had to make an early impression.

A lightning launch had Frazer dart to the outside line for turn one. The circuit then narrows drastically for turns two and three, so Frazer couldn’t afford to hesitate.

“I got a brilliant start and just backed myself. I had a lot of confidence and I am glad it paid off.”

Unfortunately, the lack of consistent practice running and no caution periods meant Frazer’s long-run pace couldn’t match the front runners. He slipped back to fourth on lap 11.

But when the two drivers challenging over P2 crashed on the final lap, Frazer picked up the pieces and earned his first podium in America.

“Rewarding” was how Frazer described the result. A reward for not only his own efforts but for those of his team. Together, they had put in the hard yards during the off-season and between practice and the race to get Frazer on the podium.

Some slight changes were made to Frazer’s car for race two to give him more of an edge over an entire stint. 

However, race two would be a messy scrap with plenty of crashes and safety car interventions, making those changes rather pointless.

But Frazer still came out the other side with more championship points, lots of learning and the confidence in himself to pursue that first win.

“We got that first podium, and now we chase the first win,” he said. “It’s a pretty awesome situation to be in.

“The only up from P2 is P1.”

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact Us

© 2022 VelocityNews - Independent New Zealand and International Motorsport news.

No Result
View All Result
  • International
    • Formula 1
    • Formula 2
    • Formula 3
    • Formula E
    • Esports
    • Super GT
    • Super Formula
    • TCR
    • WEC
    • GT
    • Porsche Carrera Cup
    • BTCC
    • DTM
    • IMSA
    • IndyCar
    • Road to Indy
    • NASCAR
    • WRC
    • MotoGP
    • Motorcycle Racing
    • Historic Racing
  • New Zealand
    • Toyota Formula Regional
    • Toyota GR86 Championship
    • Rally
    • Speedway
    • Drifting
    • Formula Ford
    • Formula First
    • TCR NZ
    • TransTasman V8 Series
    • V8 Utes
    • GT New Zealand Championship
    • GTRNZ
    • Central Muscle Cars
    • Pirelli Porsche
    • Mazda Racing Series
    • NZ Endurance Championship
    • NIERDC
    • SIERDC
    • Pro8 South Island Series
    • SsangYong Utes
    • Kartsport
    • NZ Historic Racing
    • NZ General
  • Australia
    • Supercars
    • Super2
    • Australian V8 Touring Car Series
    • Porsche Carrera Cup Australia
    • Porsche Sprint Challenge
    • S5000
    • Australian GT
    • TCR AU
  • Features
    • Features
    • Opinion
    • Profile
    • Race Cars
  • Circuit News
  • Velocity TV
  • Performance Cars
  • Jobs
    • Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Job Dashboard

© 2022 VelocityNews - Independent New Zealand and International Motorsport news.