King of Carrera Cup, Craig Baird has an extensive racing background – he’ll race anything he can get his hands on. The Kiwi has had no trouble switching categories and always has plenty on the go.
He had a lucky chance to hone his Supercars skills at Queensland Raceway, subbing in Erebus’s second car for the event in preparation for the Pirtek Enduro Cup, before Shae Davies was confirmed as the team’s second full-time driver.
Baird’s last co-driver role was with Erebus Motorsport, and the 46-year old is keen to reunite with the team, this time racing with his protégé David Reynolds.
Baird’s experience at Bathurst will be priceless at Bathurst – the Kiwi having competed there almost every year since 1999, as well as 1997.
Having started his racing career at just four years old, Baird firstly tackled go-karts. He progressed through to Formula Ford and tried to crack the United States and Europe – but in 1994 veered away from single seater racing to get behind the wheel of a BMW, and his touring car career began.
After competing in the V8 Supercars for several seasons, the end of 2005 saw the end of Baird’s full-time racing in the category – and all it took was a phone call for him to be a fully-fledged Carrera Cup competitor.
In 2012, Baird was recognised for notching up the most wins in a Porsche worldwide. He has won the Carrera Cup Championship five times.
