Craig Baird

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Craig Baird is a race car driver born in Hamilton, New Zealand on 22 July 1970. Baird is a very successul driver in his homeland, winning three consecutive New Zealand Formula Atlantic championship titles (1990-1992), and then four consecutive New Zealand Touring Car Championship titles (1993-1996).

Since then Baird has raced in Australian Supertouring Cars (1997), as well as for the Ford team in the British Touring Car Championship (1998). He won the 1997 Bathurst 1000, but the car was disqualified as Baird exceeded the allowed number of miles in the car. In 2004 he raced in the Australian V8 Supercar Championship and the Australian Porsche Carrera Cup. In 2005 he raced in the V8 Supercar Championship for WPS Racing winning a race on debut at Philip Island but his form dropped off and he was dropped at the end of the season when WPS Racing merged with Orrcon Racing and was replaced by Brazillian Max Wilson. Not all was lost with WPS Racing, when he and David Besnard were offered to drive at Sandown and Bathurst. Baird paired up with Jason Bargwanna. Baird currently races in the Australian Porsche Carrera Cup Series and is the 2006 series champion and is leading the 2007 series.

[edit] Personal

Baird lives on Australia's Gold Coast with his wife Louise and their children.

[edit] Trivia

Baird also featured on the PS1 game TOCA 2 Touring Cars, where he raced for Ford alongside his team-mate Will Hoy, where the pair usually came in 15th and 16th.

He was also good friends with the late Mark Porter (Who was killed at Bathurst in the Fujitsu Series in a race 1 incident with David Clark).