“One round at a time,” says Billy Frazer. That is what wins championships, and that is his fresh mindset heading into a second USF2000 season.
It’s not just a case of same team, same series, different year for Frazer.
While he remains with Exclusive Autosport for another season, 2022 also brings some changes for Frazer.
First, the USF2000 chassis has had a revamp. The car now has a halo device, is slightly heavier, and lap times are down on last year by roughly two to three tenths.
Then there are Frazer’s living arrangements. To save an extra bit of coin, he is spending the year living out of an RV. There’s a neat video tour on his social media which shows how he makes the most of a cramped space.
And lastly, there are Frazer’s intentions.
Last year, he was a rookie. It was his first time racing the USF2000 car, and each weekend he would have to learn a brand-new track.
Despite all that, Frazer ended the 18-race season 12th in the championship. He was also the fourth-highest rookie.
He’s not a newbie anymore. He knows that. “No excuses,” he likes to say. But he is feeling a whole lot more comfortable this time around.
“I’m feeling fast,” he said. “I’m feeling a lot more at home.
“I feel more aware about everything and I know what I have to do to be quick.”
We caught up with Frazer after a recent test session at Sebring, Florida. Aspects like lap times and what-not weren’t overly important. Instead, Frazer says everything right now is about getting himself, the car and the team as fast as possible.
“There are still things we are improving on, but we are pretty close to getting ourselves to race-winning competitiveness.”
He’s also ready to step up into more of a leadership role when needed. Joining Frazer at Exclusive Autosport this season is debutant and fellow Kiwi Jacob Douglas.
“When we go to tracks my new teammates haven’t tested at before, that is when I feel like I can shine,” he said. “I feel like I have got a lot to offer.”
Winning races is hard, and winning championships is even harder, So Frazer is approaching the new season with a one-step-at-a-time mentality.
“I’ll be rolling into round one with the objective being podiums and race wins. It’s exciting but the focus is to take it round by round.”
Frazer says that doing that will assure him to keep his head up when times get tough.
Right now, he is currently preparing for official preseason testing later this week.
The 2022 season then kicks off with the IndyCar Grand Prix of St Petersburg at the end of the month.
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