Fraser McConnell (born September 9, 1998) is a Jamaican professional racing driver. McConnell is the most competitively successful Jamaican driver in the history of international rallycross racing—his championship victory in the 2019 Americas RallyCross Championship marked the first and only championship win by a Jamaican driver in the series’ history. In 2021, McConnell became the first and only Jamaican to claim a supercar victory in the Rally X Nordic league. In 2021, McConnell's debut supercar campaign received public recognition from

Usain Bolt Usain St. Leo Bolt, , (; born 21 August 1986) is a retired Jamaican sprinter, widely considered to be the greatest sprinter of all time. He is the world record holder in the 100 metres, 200 metres, and 4 × 100 metres relay. An eight-ti ...

and Jamaican

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

Andrew Holness Andrew Michael Holness, (born 22 July 1972) is a Jamaican politician who has been the Prime Minister of Jamaica since 3 March 2016, following the 2016 Jamaican general election. Holness previously served as prime minister from October 2011 to ...

. McConnell currently competes professionally

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Dreyer & Reinbold Racing is an automotive racing organization that competes in the IndyCar Series and Nitro Rallycross. The team is owned by Indianapolis BMW, Infiniti, Volkswagen, Mini, and Subaru dealer Dennis Reinbold. Off the track, Dreyer ...

in the Group E class.

Early life

McConnell was born in

Bog Walk Bog Walk is a town in the parish of Saint Catherine, Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and ...

in St. Catherine, Jamaica. McConnell began karting,

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, and

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at the age of eight. He achieved early success throughout his junior career, being named Jamaican Driver of the Year twice, and later claiming victory at Jamaica's nationally competitive Dover Race Track at the age of 16.

Racing career

McConnell made his rallycross career debut in 2018, competing in North America's ARX2 series. In his first race, McConnell recorded the fastest-out-of-the-box time, and ultimately reached the final four times out of five. In the final round of the season, McConnell achieved a podium finish. In 2019, McConnell made his international racing debut with Olsbergs MSE. That same year, McConnell won the ARX2 championship, marking the first time in history for a Jamaican to lift the title. In 2021, McConnell secured his first supercar victory, defeating three-time FIA world champion Johan Kristoffersson at the RallyX Nordic in Nysum, Denmark. McConnell will joining

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Team X44 X44 (currently competing as X44 Vida Carbon Racing for sponsorship reasons) is an Extreme E racing team. The team was founded by 7 time Formula One World Champion, Sir Lewis Hamilton, and takes part in the series that is highlighting the impacts ...

Extreme E Extreme E is an FIA-sanctioned international off-road racing series that uses spec silhouette electric SUVs to race in remote parts of the world, such as the Saudi Arabian desert or the Arctic. All racing locations are chosen to raise awarenes ...

for the 2023 season. He will be replacing

Sébastien Loeb Sébastien Loeb (; born 26 February 1974) is a French professional rallying, rally, auto racing, racing and rallycross driver. He is the most successful driver in the World Rally Championship (WRC), having won the world championship a record nin ...

and will partner Cristina Gutiérrez.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McConnell, Fraser 1998 births Jamaican racing drivers Living people People from Saint Catherine Parish Dreyer & Reinbold Racing drivers Extreme E drivers