Igor Fraga leads the Toyota Racing Series. Photo / Photosport
Igor Fraga leads the Toyota Racing Series. Photo / Photosport
Defending Toyota Racing Series champion New Zealander Liam Lawson has a challenge on his hands at round four of the series.
Lawson had led the championship until race three at Hampton Downs last weekend when a rare mechanical failure sidelined the Kiwi. This opened the door for young Brazilian driverIgor Fraga to leapfrog Lawson to lead the series by 17 points from the Kiwi, with Switzerland's Gregoire Saucy third, 31 points back.
As the series has progressed, Fraga has found his form in the new car and on unfamiliar tracks has notched six podium finishes, including two wins.
"It's a good feeling to be leading the championship now," said Fraga. "The racing is hard against so many talented drivers, including my teammate Liam [Lawson]. Being able to get some pole positions and finally some race wins feels really good.
"I now have to keep pushing hard in the last half of the championship. In the beginning, I struggled a bit with the car, but now I'm getting used to it and feeling more comfortable."
Not only is Fraga handy behind the wheel of a single-seater race car, he's not too shabby when it comes to hustling a virtual car in a video game. That's where he got his first taste of motorsport.
When his dad first got him started in karting, he thought it would be a good idea to familiarise young Igor with a steering wheel and pedals by buying him a PlayStation 2 and Gran Turismo 3 simulator.
"I was born in Japan and there they had a category called Kids Karting where you can practice at about three or four years old.
"My dad was a bit worried so he wanted me to understand the basics of how the controls work, so got me a PlayStation to learn.
"Once I got the hang of using the steering wheel, brake and throttle, my dad got me into karting when I was about four years old.
"The gear [simulator] was nothing like we have today, but it did the job. Obviously my mum didn't let me play too much, so when I could, I did," he said.
While quietly going about establishing himself as a bona fide racer in a real car, Fraga has already built a handy reputation as an online racer. In the past few years, he has won the FIA-certified Gran Turismo Championship Nations Cup world finals and the World Tour Nurburgring and New York.
"I think racing a car and a simulator are similar. Obviously the environment is different. The biggest thing is the fear you have when racing in real life. What is also important is that at a race track, you have all the team around you.
"It is important to have a good relationship and keeping it in a good place. It's a team sport [real racing] and that is the main difference between the two," said Fraga.
He picked up his two wins so far in the championship last weekend at Hampton Downs. This weekend, he's belting up to take on Pukekohe for one of the biggest trophies in New Zealand racing, the NZ Motor Cup.
"The tracks in New Zealand are very different to those in other countries. I quite liked Teretonga [Invercargill] but we could have had better results.
