In an impressive performance at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, Fraser McConnell secured victory in Round 9 of 10, the first of two final races, keeping himself in contention for the Nitrocross series 2023/4 title. McConnell dominated the penultimate round on Friday night.

Taking an early lead in the six-lap final, McConnell faced a challenge when Oliver Eriksson overtook him in the heavy braking zone. That lead was short-lived as McConnell tagged him just after the joker merge two turns later to regain the lead.

Following Eriksson's setback, a fierce battle unfolded among Larsson, Timmy Hansen, and Andreas Bakkerud, allowing McConnell to extend his lead. Despite Hansen and Larsson taking their jokers on laps three and four respectively, neither could catch up to McConnell. 

McConnell, who recently extended his contract with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing for the 2024-25 season, crossed the finish line 3.760 seconds ahead of Larsson to take the win.

The Nitrocross 2023/4 season concludes on Saturday in Las Vegas with everything at stake in round 10 at the Nitrodome in Planet Hollywood.

Jamaica nitrocross sensation Fraser McConnell came away with a victory and a second-place finish in rounds four and five of the Nitrocross series in Phoenix, Arizona last weekend.

McConnell emphatically started the season with a dominating win in round one in Oklahoma. With mechanical issues keeping him off the podium in rounds two and three in Utah in August, he was determined to put on a great display in Phoenix.

In Phoenix, despite encountering more car failure in the first races, McConnell managed to win the Last Chance Qualifier and secure a second row starting position in the final.
 
The Round four final on November 10 was a nail-biting affair, with the top five cars closely competing to the finish.
 
Last year's champion, Robin Larsson, led the race but suffered a punctured tyre, which saw a rush of competitors bunched up. Travis Pastrana overtook through a gap in the middle and finished first, with Fraser crossing the line in second.
 
However, McConnell moved up one spot to first place after the stewards gave Pastrana a penalty.
 
"Not the way I'd choose to win, but a win is a win. I'll accept the rules of the game, and I welcome the points earned from this victory, which is as close to the maximum points as possible". He reasoned.
 
The fifth round of the Nitrocross Series started well for Fraser on November 11, as he won his Heat Race and qualified for the coveted Top Qualifier (TQ) final. 
 
During the Finals, Fraser drove an intelligent race by staying out of the Joker Lap until the fifth lap, which gave him the clean air he needed to chase down those at the front of the pack. He eventually finished in second place behind Larsson.
 
Fraser is currently in fourth place in the Championship battle, only two points behind Andreas Bakkerud and 12 points ahead of Pastrana in the 10-event series.
 
Rounds six and seven of the Nitrocross Series will take place at the Glen Helen Raceway in California on December 9 and 10.

Fraser McConnell believes his dominating performance in the Nitro Rallycross fourth leg in Los Angeles on the weekend, is an indication of how much he has grown in the sport. However, he said he has no plans to be complacent now that he has won his first meet.

The 24-year-old Jamaican won his Group E heat on Saturday at the Glen Helen Raceway and then took his first-ever win on Sunday. In doing so, he defeated his more seasoned rivals Robin Larsson, Andreas Bakkerud and Oliver Bennett.

So impressive was his dominance on the weekend that some pundits have begun to see him as a near-future champion.

He told Sportsmax.TV that a lot of hard work has gone into him making progress this season.

“I have made a step forward. I have been working towards that and I knew we always had it in us to have the result come to fruition but it’s easier said than done,” he said.

“For everything to come together on the weekend just like that is really special. We won every single race and were by far the fastest out there the whole weekend, so I am very pleased to be able to represent Jamaica on that level with that level of dominance.”

He warned that now that he has won his first-ever Group E meet, means that he is going to be resting on his laurels.

“The key is to grow and keep going forward, not get complacent and keep working towards even better results,” said McConnell, who arrived home in Jamaica on Tuesday night telling local media that it was great to break through on the circuit at Glen Helen. (See video below)

“It’s a good feeling. We have been scratching at the door for a long time and had our foot in close enough a lot of the time but we never got to seal the deal and stand on the top step but to do it twice this weekend with the top qualifier and the P1 in the final was a great feeling and we are going to aim to do this more often and keep winning some of these,” he said, nodding toward the trophy he was holding.

 

Jamaica’s Fraser McConnell claimed his first-ever Group E win on Sunday at the fourth leg of the 2022 Nitro Rallycross championship at Glen Helen Raceway in Los Angeles.

 Jamaica’s Fraser McConnell is set to go up against some of the best drivers in the world when the fourth leg of 2022/2023 Nitro Rallycross Championship gets underway in Los Angeles, California this weekend, October 29 and 30.

SportsMax will carry the action live.

On October 2, the 24-year-old McConnell crashed and rolled during third-leg of Group E qualifying in Minneapolis but recovered to finish third.

Standing in his way for top honours this weekend will be Robin Larsson and Andreas Bakkerud, who have 160 and 141 points, respectively, to occupy first and second place. McConnell is third in the standings with 114 points.

Hel looks forward to the challenge at the iconic Glen Helen Raceway, where cars fly and the track thrills.

“Glen Helen is a track I enjoyed last year. It’s super-fast and almost 100 per cent dirt with eight or nine jumps, so you have to ensure you’re timing the speed right so that when you land, you get as much downhill of the speed as you can,” he said.

“My job is to ensure the car is making the gaps. I can’t wait to get out there.”

 The 2022-23 NITRO Rallycross Championship will see action over 10 legs across the USA, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Saudi Arabia, and Canada. The series runs from June 2022 to March 2023.

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