Fraser recounts mission from hospital bed to rookie top 10

Back in February, as drivers tested their Gen3 cars, completed media shoots and launched the new season, Declan Fraser watched on from hospital.

Fast forward two months, and the Tickford Racing rookie has already ticked off one 2023 goal, all while trying to regain his fitness.

Fraser’s start to 2023 has been more turbulent than most, with the Queenslander parachuted into the fourth Tickford seat in January.

Shortly afterwards, as he readied to test his new Gen3 Mustang, Fraser was undone by simultaneous bouts of glandular fever and tonsillitis, along with a throat infection.

In a heartbeat, Fraser lost eight kilos and with it, any fitness momentum he had heading into the biggest year of his career.

Such was Fraser’s ill health that he was forced out of the pre-season Sydney test, and arrived in Newcastle with minimal laps compared to his rivals.

“I had a throat infection, glandular fever and tonsillitis. I lost eight kilos in a week,” Fraser told Supercars.com.

Fraser put on a brave face in testing

“I was waking up in cold sweats every morning. There was a bit going on!

I was burning up overnight, then wasn’t able to eat during the day because my throat had closed off.

“I ended up in hospital a few times — I couldn’t breathe, because my glands were so swollen.

“After all this time, I’m finally back at fighting weight and I’m feeling a lot better.”

However, the 2022 Super2 champion cast it all aside and put his #56 TRADIE Ford into 13th on debut, before crashing out a day later off the line.

In Melbourne, Fraser — while still far from his physical best — recorded his first ever solo top 10, a feat yet to be cracked by fellow rookies Matt Payne and Cameron Hill.

In a two month span, the 22-year-old had been in and out of hospital, debuted, crashed and ticked a major box in his career.

Having finally returned to full training, Fraser said he is now in a position to put his energy into not only his racing, but his off-track commitments.

“It’s taken a few months to get back into it,” he said.

"This is the first week I’ve trained as hard as I had been before I got sick.

“It’s been great to get back into a rhythm, because it means I can focus more on my driving instead of my health.

“There’s still time between now and Perth to get stronger, but I’ve also got some other commitments too.

“I head to Tassie for some media, then back for Perth pre-briefing, some sponsor and commercial appearances, then straight to Perth.

“It’s busy but it’s fun — and I’m hoping we get to Perth earlier so we can play some golf, they’ve got some great courses there!”

Fraser now heads to Perth, where he finished third en route to his title victory.

'To get [a top 10] in my second round, I was stoked'

Having had a taste of the top half of the field already in 2023, Fraser wants more — and he believes he is on the right path.

“Newcastle was a whirlwind — we had pace straight off the bat,” he said.

“The timesheets didn’t show our pace, but it was such a tight field — you lose a tenth, and you’re buried down the pack.

“We ticked off some goals, 13th in my first long solo race, then obviously the unfortunate crash on Sunday.

“Then AGP, it was amazing — my goal was to get into the top 10, and to get it in my second round, I was stoked.

“We’ve got the pace, we want to be there consistently — it’s so tight, but we’re on the right track."

The 2023 Repco Supercars Championship will resume at the Bosch Power Tools Perth SuperSprint on April 28-30.