Craig Baird

Craig Baird

Craig George Baird MNZM (born 22 July 1970 in Hamilton, New Zealand) is a race car driver. Baird is a very successful 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 Super Touring Championship, as well as for the Ford team in the British Touring Car Championship (1998). He finished first at the 1997 Bathurst 1000, but the car was disqualified as Baird exceeded the allowed number of miles in the car for a single driver. 2007 saw Baird and his 1997 co-driver Paul Morris re-united in Gary Holt's BMW 335i in winning the revived Bathurst 12 Hour.

In 2004 he raced in the Australian V8 Supercar Championship and the Australian Carrera Cup Championship. In 2005 he raced in the V8 Supercar Championship for WPS Racing. WPS Racing merged with Orrcon Racing and he was replaced by Brazilian 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.

With 32 wins in the different series he has competed in 2008, he is the winningest driver of the season in the world.

He has over 20 New Zealand championship titles, two Australian championship titles, is a three-time winner of the New Zealand Grand Prix. In March 2010 he won both the NZV8s and Porsche GT3 Cup categories in the 2009/10 New Zealand Summer Series and will race in the Carrera Cup Asia during the 2010 season.

Craig Baird is part of the Channel Ten/One HD commentary team for Formula One coverage and Moto GP coverage in Australia along with host Greg Rust and former 500cc motorbike rider Daryl Beattie.