Tauranga’s Graeme Fraser has been rallying and racing for 40 years – competing in 100 rallies, 180 races, plus many hill climbs, rally sprints and rally cross events. A self-funded amateur competitor he has won two national titles, in rallying in 1987 in a Group A Toyota Starlet and in endurance racing in 2016. A recently retired chartered accountant, he grew up on a sheep station in Hawkes Bay and has been addicted to petrol since he started driving tractors aged 7. He loves the Steve McQueen quote: “Racing is life, everything before and after is just waiting”. He believes the most important achievement in motorsport is to get to the start line, after that “what will be, will be”. He always remembers the first time he saw a rally car competing – Rod Millen in his Phillips Mazda RX3 on the Waimak riverbank in 1976 – absolutely mind-blowing!
Graeme Fraser - 1997 BMW E36 M3
Tauranga’s Graeme Fraser has been rallying and racing for 40 years – competing in 100 rallies, 180 races, plus many hill climbs, rally sprints and rally cross events. A self-funded amateur competitor he has won two national titles, in rallying in 1987 in a Group A Toyota Starlet and in endurance racing in 2016. A recently retired chartered accountant, he grew up on a sheep station in Hawkes Bay and has been addicted to petrol since he started driving tractors aged 7. He loves the Steve McQueen quote: “Racing is life, everything before and after is just waiting”. He believes the most important achievement in motorsport is to get to the start line, after that “what will be, will be”. He always remembers the first time he saw a rally car competing – Rod Millen in his Phillips Mazda RX3 on the Waimak riverbank in 1976 – absolutely mind-blowing!
1997 BMW E36 M3:
Graeme’s Inca Orange BMW M3 was built in Germany in 1997. It has been a race car since 2009 and was previously owned by Wayne Cowely and Bob Sievwright. It runs a normally aspirated BMW E46 M3 S54 3,246cc straight-six engine developing 380hp revving to 8,200 rpm. The gearbox is a NZ-built TTI 6 speed sequential with a 4.7 BMW diff. The cars weighs 1150kg and achieves 0-100kph in around 4.3 secs. Brakes are AP Racing, suspension Proflex and with 18″x 9″ wheels on Hankook tyres. Graeme won the 2016 NZ Endurance Championship Class 2 and BMW Race Series Endurance Championship in it. This is probably the best-prepared and fastest of the many E36 BMW M3s racing in New Zealand and even though it is 20 years old, it is a current race winner at NZ Championship level against modern, normally aspirated and turbo cars in the 3.5 litre category.