In March, rising star, Jamaican rallycross driver Fraser McConnell, announced he is joining X44 Vida Carbon Racing, the Extreme E Team founded by mega-famous, seven-time Formula One World Champion, Sir Lewis Hamilton.
As the only Jamaican driver in the sport, McConnell fits in well with Hamilton’s X44 team. Hamilton is adamant about playing a strong role in adding diversity to motorsports, and is a committed anti-racist activist. In 2020, he launched the X44 team to compete in Extreme E, an all-electric SUV, off-road racing series. The team finished in second place at the inaugural Extreme E championship, and became the first winner of the Extreme E Sustainability Award in 2022.
McConnell is 24-years-old and goes by the nickname Frazzz. He was born in Bog Walk in St. Catherine, Jamaica into one of the island’s most prominent farming and manufacturing families, most widely known for their Tru Juice brand. At the age of eight, he started karting, motocross, and rally, achieving significant success in his junior career and receiving the title of Jamaican Driver of the Year twice. When he was 16-years-old, McConnell also won at Dover Rack Track, Jamaica’s national competitive venue.
Today, Fraser McConnell has skyrocketed to fame as the most competitively successful Jamaican driver in the history of international rallycross racing.
In 2018, McConnell recorded the fastest-out-of-the-box time in his first race and went on to win all of his heats. By 2019, he won the ARX2 championship and American Rallycross Championship. Then in 2021, he won the RallyX Nordic competition. Earlier this year, in February 2023, McConnell won his second qualifying event in Calgary, Canada, at Stampede Park. He currently competes in the Group E class for Dreyer & Reinbold.
The race car driver carries his Jamaican pride with him across the globe, donning his country’s flag at every opportunity. He also has a strong fan base, with some following him around the world at his competitions, waving their Jamaican flag from the stands, as well.
Fraser McConnell has been recognized by Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness, has been named Jamaica’s RJR Gleaner National Sportsman of the Year Awards, been given the People’s Choice Award and RJR Gleaner National Sportsman of the Year Awards, and received the award for Athlete of the Year for Motorsport.
