Motorsport: Kiwi driver Billy Frazer’s unique approach to life on the Road to Indy

Billy Frazer finished third in the 2021 Toyota Racing Series. Photo / Photosport

Billy Frazer found the benefit of doing things a bit differently in 2022.

Bouncing around the United States competing in the US F2000 National Championship series, the young Kiwi motorsport driver spent seven months basing himself out of a caravan.

The 20-year-old packed his life into “29ft of luxury” to drive from event to event, lowering the cost of travel and accommodation, as he put together an impressive campaign on the highly competitive single-seater racing series, which doubles as part of the Road to Indy.

“I was doing it like no one else has done it for a while,” Frazer said.

“That was such a cool experience. I was able to focus myself off that and create a consistent living space.”

It was a decision that appeared to suit the Kiwi. While getting to see the country in a different way, he took big steps in his on-track performance as well.

In his second year in the series, Frazer found his rhythm early and often as he earned six podium finishes in the first 11 races, with only two finishes outside of the top 10 in that span. At the midway point of the campaign, the Kiwi driver was at the top of the driver’s championship.

However, the wheels came off his season at the back end, with just one top-10 finish in the last seven races — finishing third in the season’s penultimate race at Portland International Raceway.

Frazer finished fifth overall with seven podiums, set the fastest lap in the first race at Road America and was awarded the USF2000 Move of the Year at the end-of-season awards. He was one of two Kiwi athletes driving for Exclusive Autosport, alongside series rookie Jacob Douglas who finished the year 12th in the standings.

“A few things didn’t go my way,” Frazer said. “A couple of mechanicals, a couple of drives by me that could’ve been a little bit better, a couple of times getting caught up in other people’s mistakes, but there were seven podiums and some fantastic drives.

“The season kind of just unravelled a little bit. I wasn’t quite able to grab hold of it. That comes with winning races and getting poles. I was always one of those drivers who was going to be in the mix but just didn’t quite get that win which was frustrating because we definitely deserved multiple this season.

“It was a fantastic year, but looking back now there’s just a little bit more on the table which is so frustrating but also showed me the level was astonishing; it was so high. Going forward there’s going to be some great IndyCar drivers in there and I hope to be one of them.”

Frazer will be returning to the States for the 2023 season, but is yet to confirm where he will be racing. After two seasons in the US F2000 National Championship series, he is hoping to take the next step on the Road to Indy and move up to compete in the USF Pro 2000.

Frazer said he had aligned himself with a team in that series already, but it was a matter of “trying to get the corporates together” to make that move happen.

“I’m looking to get on the Pro 2000 grid and climb that ladder to IndyCar,” he said.