SUPERCARS rookie Declan Fraser’s 2023 colours have come to life – even if he’ll be sidelined for the first time they hit the track.
Tradie is continuing in a naming rights capacity at Tickford Racing, having underpinned the #56 entry for Jake Kostecki last year.
Fraser replaced Kostecki in the off-season and shook down his brand-new Gen3 Ford Mustang last week at Winton donning plain black for the occasion.
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His livery launch comes a day out from the all-in Sydney Motorsport Park test day, for which he has been ruled out through illness.
In his place, Tickford co-drivers – the identities of whom will be confirmed tomorrow but is likely to include Zak Best and/or James Moffat – will take the #56 for a spin.
Nevertheless, Fraser could not tame his excitement at the sight of his first full-time main game Supercar.
“I kind of can’t believe it, it’s all starting to feel real now,” he said.
“It’s been a crazy time these last couple of months, coming off the back of winning the Super2 championship, to signing with Tickford Racing, and looking ahead to my first full-time season in the main game, it’s a really exciting time.
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“It’s going to be a massive learning curve for myself as a driver but the car looks awesome and the team’s done an amazing job building the cars over the last few months.
“I can’t wait to get out on track and represent the Tradie brand and the Tickford team, and hopefully we can put together a really successful year.
“The new cars are going to create such a great atmosphere for the fans,” he continued.
“Being one of three rookies this season, it will be awesome to race against my former Super2 competitors at the top level, and racing in the brand-new generation cars is going to be awesome.
“I’ve done just as many races in these cars as every other driver, so this year is the perfect opportunity for me to make my debut and hopefully mix it up at the front.
“I have been prepping so hard to get ready for the season and the wait’s finally over. I can’t wait to get out there and have a great year with the Tradie Racing crew.”
Beyond SMP, Fraser still has one pre-season test up his sleeve to use before the Thrifty Newcastle 500 on March 10-12.
