- Baird wins all three Porsche races
- Triple X Motorsport seal successive Porsche victory
Queensland based Kiwi Craig Baird (Barrons RV Taupo – ZM – Porsche 997) has taken the 2008/09 Porsche GT3 Challenge Cup following this weekend’s final round of racing at Pukekohe Park – leading the Triple X Motorsport team to one-two-three in the championship.
The weekend’s three-race programme concluded with Baird taking his second race win of the weekend in this morning’s 12-lap race to secure his championship placing.
That was backed up by a win in the dying metres of the final race to clean-sweep the weekend for the 38-year-old professional driver.
“I think the championship one-two-three proves how good the team is. I haven’t had a mechanical failure all year – it’s just run like clockwork. So between the group of sponsors, management and all the boys that are in Triple X Motorsport we’ve got the ultimate team to win titles. It doesn’t matter what you do in the team, you get treated all the same – so that makes it a grouse environment to be in,” said Baird.
Baird’s championship win takes him to five Porsche titles and extends his overall New Zealand tally to 21.
Following Baird home in the title chase, Melbourne’s David Reynolds finished second in the morning race and was duelling with Baird in the final top-six reverse grid race before leaving the circuit and retiring. Without points, he had enough from the morning result to secure second overall in the series.
“Baird was my target to beat when I first arrived here,” said Reynolds of his season. “He’s obviously got the edge on most of the tracks here since he’s won most of the races. Also one of my targets over here was to qualify a lot stronger and I think I showed that. Plus the team of Triple X Motorsport has been fantastic to work with – it’s a good balance of professionalism and fun, and that’s what I like over here,” said the Australian.
Auckland’s Daniel Gaunt (Beef and Lamb – Radio Sport – Trinity Media Group – Porsche 997) was the third driver to secure his championship placing in the morning race, backed up with a third in the final to make it a clean championship podium sweep for the six-car Porsche team.
“The objective this season was to learn as much as I could. I came in to this team knowing that these guys, Reynolds and Bairdo, have got plenty of experience. So to be able to learn off them all year and be there to pick up third is the best I could imagine.”
“Triple X Motorsport has been remarkably good to me this year - it’s a great environment. They are serious on track and strive to be best while having fun and a laugh together.”
Starting from pole in this afternoon’s final race, season rookie Courtney Letica (Altherm - Porsche 997) finished in eighth after a clean finishing record for the weekend that was highlighted by a fourth in official race qualifying.
“It’s been a major learning curve, but towards the end we’ve picked up our pace and put a lot of things in to practise and got much better toward the end of the season. I’d like to think with the experience I can be a lot further up there next season,” said the 21-year old Auckland account manager.
Finishing tenth in the championship, one position ahead of Letica, team principal Shane McKillen (VnC Cocktails – Porsche 997) said the season result was a better outcome than originally planned.
“It’s a fantastic result - more than we expected at the start of the year,” said the Auckland businessman. “So to finish first-second-third makes us proud as it’s a complete team effort, now we have to find a new goal. We’ve got a great model with this team, having professional drivers, younger drivers and gentleman drivers, we now have two consecutive championship titles to prove it.”
Melbourne’s Rodney Forbes (Hampsta - MPD Dairy Products – Porsche 997) finished fifth equal in the standings – unlucky not to reel in the lucrative fourth spot that would have extended the team’s championship dominance.
Placing seventh in both races today, Forbes said it typified his season being on the cusp of the top-six that often started behind the leading group in the weekend final race.
“The thing that keeps holding me back is the reverse grid race of the top-times. So I can finish quite well in the race, but if I finish seventh fastest time I get put back when those I’m racing against get to the front of the grid and it robs little points off you.”“Otherwise it’s been a good season – I love the racing – it’s all very close. I wouldn’t race anywhere else really – especially with the team I’m in to be perfectly honest. They work hard, play hard – they know how to blend it and it’s a perfect mix.”
The six-car Triple X Motorsport team will run at the Hamilton 400 V8 Supercar weekend as part of a trophy challenge around the street circuit in mid-April.
Results:
Porsche GT3 Race one – 12 laps (top-five) – Saturday 14th March
1. Craig Baird – Triple X 11min38.476s
2. David Reynolds – Triple X +0.657s
3. Jono Lester +2.725s
4. Daniel Gaunt – Triple X +7.790
5. Courtney Letica – Triple X +10.256
Porsche GT3 Race two – 12 laps (top-five) – Sunday 15th March
Pos No Driver Time
1 1 Craig Baird – Triple X 11min35.790s
2 2 David Reynolds – Triple X +0.332
3 47 Daniel Gaunt – Triple X +6.817
4 96 Anthony Pedersen +8.023
5 98 Mark Russ +17.162
Porsche GT3 Race three – 16 laps top-six reverse grid start (top-five) – Sunday 15th March
Pos No Driver Time
1 1 Craig Baird – Triple X 15min40.968
2 10 Jody Vincent +0.188s
3 47 Daniel Gaunt – Triple X +1.676s
4 96 Anthony Pedersen +7.185s5
51 Jono Lester +8.438s
Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge points overall (provisional)
1 Craig Baird (Triple X Motorsport) 1295
2 David Reynolds (Triple X Motorsport) 1112
3 Daniel Gaunt (Triple X Motorsport) 935
4 Jono Lester 821
5= Rodney Forbes (Triple X Motorsport) 747
5= Jody Vincent 747
7 Anthony Pedersen 739
8 Darryn Henderson 690
9 Mark Russ 669
10 Shane McKillen 626
11 Courtney Letica 534
- Triple X Motorsport seal successive Porsche victory
Queensland based Kiwi Craig Baird (Barrons RV Taupo – ZM – Porsche 997) has taken the 2008/09 Porsche GT3 Challenge Cup following this weekend’s final round of racing at Pukekohe Park – leading the Triple X Motorsport team to one-two-three in the championship.
The weekend’s three-race programme concluded with Baird taking his second race win of the weekend in this morning’s 12-lap race to secure his championship placing.
That was backed up by a win in the dying metres of the final race to clean-sweep the weekend for the 38-year-old professional driver.“I think the championship one-two-three proves how good the team is. I haven’t had a mechanical failure all year – it’s just run like clockwork. So between the group of sponsors, management and all the boys that are in Triple X Motorsport we’ve got the ultimate team to win titles. It doesn’t matter what you do in the team, you get treated all the same – so that makes it a grouse environment to be in,” said Baird.
Baird’s championship win takes him to five Porsche titles and extends his overall New Zealand tally to 21.
Following Baird home in the title chase, Melbourne’s David Reynolds finished second in the morning race and was duelling with Baird in the final top-six reverse grid race before leaving the circuit and retiring. Without points, he had enough from the morning result to secure second overall in the series.
“Baird was my target to beat when I first arrived here,” said Reynolds of his season. “He’s obviously got the edge on most of the tracks here since he’s won most of the races. Also one of my targets over here was to qualify a lot stronger and I think I showed that. Plus the team of Triple X Motorsport has been fantastic to work with – it’s a good balance of professionalism and fun, and that’s what I like over here,” said the Australian.
Auckland’s Daniel Gaunt (Beef and Lamb – Radio Sport – Trinity Media Group – Porsche 997) was the third driver to secure his championship placing in the morning race, backed up with a third in the final to make it a clean championship podium sweep for the six-car Porsche team.“The objective this season was to learn as much as I could. I came in to this team knowing that these guys, Reynolds and Bairdo, have got plenty of experience. So to be able to learn off them all year and be there to pick up third is the best I could imagine.”
“Triple X Motorsport has been remarkably good to me this year - it’s a great environment. They are serious on track and strive to be best while having fun and a laugh together.”
Starting from pole in this afternoon’s final race, season rookie Courtney Letica (Altherm - Porsche 997) finished in eighth after a clean finishing record for the weekend that was highlighted by a fourth in official race qualifying.
“It’s been a major learning curve, but towards the end we’ve picked up our pace and put a lot of things in to practise and got much better toward the end of the season. I’d like to think with the experience I can be a lot further up there next season,” said the 21-year old Auckland account manager.
Finishing tenth in the championship, one position ahead of Letica, team principal Shane McKillen (VnC Cocktails – Porsche 997) said the season result was a better outcome than originally planned.
“It’s a fantastic result - more than we expected at the start of the year,” said the Auckland businessman. “So to finish first-second-third makes us proud as it’s a complete team effort, now we have to find a new goal. We’ve got a great model with this team, having professional drivers, younger drivers and gentleman drivers, we now have two consecutive championship titles to prove it.”
Melbourne’s Rodney Forbes (Hampsta - MPD Dairy Products – Porsche 997) finished fifth equal in the standings – unlucky not to reel in the lucrative fourth spot that would have extended the team’s championship dominance.
Placing seventh in both races today, Forbes said it typified his season being on the cusp of the top-six that often started behind the leading group in the weekend final race.
“The thing that keeps holding me back is the reverse grid race of the top-times. So I can finish quite well in the race, but if I finish seventh fastest time I get put back when those I’m racing against get to the front of the grid and it robs little points off you.”“Otherwise it’s been a good season – I love the racing – it’s all very close. I wouldn’t race anywhere else really – especially with the team I’m in to be perfectly honest. They work hard, play hard – they know how to blend it and it’s a perfect mix.”
The six-car Triple X Motorsport team will run at the Hamilton 400 V8 Supercar weekend as part of a trophy challenge around the street circuit in mid-April.
Results:
Porsche GT3 Race one – 12 laps (top-five) – Saturday 14th March
1. Craig Baird – Triple X 11min38.476s
2. David Reynolds – Triple X +0.657s
3. Jono Lester +2.725s
4. Daniel Gaunt – Triple X +7.790
5. Courtney Letica – Triple X +10.256
Porsche GT3 Race two – 12 laps (top-five) – Sunday 15th March
Pos No Driver Time
1 1 Craig Baird – Triple X 11min35.790s
2 2 David Reynolds – Triple X +0.332
3 47 Daniel Gaunt – Triple X +6.817
4 96 Anthony Pedersen +8.023
5 98 Mark Russ +17.162
Porsche GT3 Race three – 16 laps top-six reverse grid start (top-five) – Sunday 15th March
Pos No Driver Time
1 1 Craig Baird – Triple X 15min40.968
2 10 Jody Vincent +0.188s
3 47 Daniel Gaunt – Triple X +1.676s
4 96 Anthony Pedersen +7.185s5
51 Jono Lester +8.438s
Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge points overall (provisional)
1 Craig Baird (Triple X Motorsport) 1295
2 David Reynolds (Triple X Motorsport) 1112
3 Daniel Gaunt (Triple X Motorsport) 935
4 Jono Lester 821
5= Rodney Forbes (Triple X Motorsport) 747
5= Jody Vincent 747
7 Anthony Pedersen 739
8 Darryn Henderson 690
9 Mark Russ 669
10 Shane McKillen 626
11 Courtney Letica 534
