When it was announced during the week that New Zealander Craig Baird would be contesting the Australian Carrera Cup championship again this year there would have been a few drivers muttering under their breath.
The prolific Baird has won three Australian Carrera Cup titles in a row (five in all), which goes some way to his impressive total haul of 11 national titles.
So the other drivers are just going to have to man up for a few more years in an effort to wrestle the title from one of the world’s best exponents behind the wheel of a Porsche Cup car. Baird is chomping at the bit to get into action at Adelaide this month for the opening round of his series.
“There were a few different deals going on and it was really hard to piece the whole thing together for this year,” said Baird.
“Obviously with the new car [the Porsche 991 GT3 pictured] the expense increased and then you’ve got the running of the car and team on top of that, so the spend was double what it would have been in the past.”
The new car still carries the recognised DNA from the 911 series and has a 3.8-litre boxer engine delivering 345kW of power through a new six-speed gearbox now operated via paddle shifters. It also comes with new 18-inch aluminium wheels with six-piston steel brakes up front and four-pot on the rears.
Drivers will be snug inside a redesigned roll cage and a carbon-fibre seat, and there is also an escape hatch in the roof. The front guards have been widened and there are a few other bodywork tweaks that are rounded off with a rear wing the size of the bridge on the USS Enterprise.
Also, in case you didn’t know, all the race cars are made on the same production line as the street-legal 991 models and from there the ones destined to be race cars are taken to the Porsche Motorsport Centre for further work.
“The new car is another step up but still retains the lines, base and history of the 911 shape. We’ve always had Carrera Cup cars that on the right track have very similar lap times to the V8 Supercars. Now it’s stepped up even more and the cars are now better, quicker and in some ways they are getting easier to drive.
“The paddle shift gearbox will certainly make it easier in the office,” said Baird.
His competition will come from 23 other new cars on the grid this year and he’s relishing the combativeness of the category with the new young guns entering the fray along with veterans.
“It’s always been a tough series with older guys coming back from the V8 Supercars like Steve Richards and Warren Luff and the young guys coming through like Nick Percat and David Reynolds,” he said.
“There’s always a good mix, that’s for sure, and Alex Davison is trying to put a deal together to race this season.
“Motorsport is no different to any other sport where you want your rivals and competitors there to push you hard and make you raise your game,” said Baird.
Because of the lateness of the deal coming together, Baird hasn’t had as much seat time as a few of his fellow racers. He’s managed to turn a only few laps of the 991 GT3 2014 spec car at the Sydney Motorsport Park last month.
His first time in the car will be in practice at the V8 Supercars championship in Adelaide.
Australian Carrera Cup 2014 championship
1. Adelaide Feb 27-Mar 2
2. Albert Park, Mar 13-16
3. Phillip Island, May 23-25
4. Townsville, July 4-6
5. Sydney, Aug 22-24
6. Sandown, Sep 12-14
7. Bathurst, Oct 9-12
8. Surfers Paradise, Oct 24-26
