Triple X Motorsport racer Craig Baird has taken the opening round win in the Porsche GT3 Cup challenge with two race wins and second, held at Pukekohe over the weekend.
The first of six rounds in the 2008/09 season, Baird in the Barrons RV Taupo – ZM car dominated the 14-car field – leading the six car Triple X Motorsport team
“We had a good car the whole weekend – with plenty of speed, although I played it pretty cautiously in the final race,” said Baird after claiming his winning trophy.
“I could have lunged past for the win in the final race – but there is a long way to go in this championship,” he added after finishing second by a mere 0.225 of a second. “The points are the main thing and we’ve got the trophy – so that’s important to the team and sponsors.”
Third overall for the weekend was Daniel Gaunt in the 47 Beef and Lamb – Radio Sport – Trinity Media Group car, who started from pole for the weekend’s final race. Pushed by his team-mates Baird and David Reynolds in the Placemakers – Karcher car, Gaunt finished third in the 16-lap race.
Team principal Shane McKillen paid tribute to his team, with only one retirement when the number two car of Reynolds began losing gears late in the final race – after setting a new lap record.
“A dominant start – and it would have been better if we didn’t have the gearbox failure in Reynolds car. Otherwise we got all the cars home, including our rookie Courtney Letica and myself I was able to set my fastest time around this circuit and get in the 58 second bracket,” said McKillen, who drove the VnC Cocktails car to a weekend best of eighth in the final race.
Sydney’s Rodney Forbes best result of the weekend was fourth in the final race driving the Hampsta and MPD Dairy Products car, while Letica in the Altherm – Fortress Fasteners – Scarbro – Williment Travel – Marley car finished seventh.
The team now have three weeks until the second round – heading for the Christchurch location of Ruapuna Park . The Powerbuilt Raceway weekend will also conclude the Movember charity campaign the team are contributing toward with a shave-off during the Sunday lunch break (30 November).
