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Nostalgic Winton Return For Team VIP Petfoods |
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Monday, 14 May 2007 |
Team VIP Petfoods’ defending Carrera Cup champion and current series leader Craig Baird is looking to make a triumphant return to Winton Raceway for this weekend’s round two of the Carrera Cup series.
The last time the tour de force rolled around Winton it was 2004 and behind the wheel of a V8 Supercar - with a stellar top ten shootout seeing him take pole over the likes of Tander, Skaife and Lowndes.
The Gold Coast’s ‘Bairdo’ will now eyeball the twists and turns of
Winton again, however this time from behind the wheel of a motoring
icon of a different kind - his #1 997-based Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car.
“Winton is a great track and I am looking forward to getting back to it after a few years away,” said Baird.
“Of course there is history which makes it interesting, but at the same
time I have never run a Porsche around there and so will be treading on
new ground.
“Having said that, I would say the track is probably more suited to the
Porsche with its twists and turns, and also to my driving style so I am
looking for a good result.”
This year has witnessed Baird perform at the top of his game – taking
Adelaide’s Carrera Cup round one win from the first corner and then
turning around with a strong Australian Grand Prix non-series round
performance less than two weeks later.
His un-doubtable momentum has since been heightened by last month’s WPS
Bathurst 12 hour Showroom Enduro – where an enthralling tussle lasting
the entirety of the acid test saw Baird, temporarily aboard a BMW,
collect the chequered flag.
“It was great to take the car over the line during the WPS Bathurst 12 hour Showroom Enduro,” said Baird.
“This year has been going well so far, and hopefully the good form will continue at Winton.”
While this weekend’s venture will see Baird suit up nearly three years
after his last main-game venture there, he will not fly the Team VIP
Petfoods flag alone.
Instead, Baird will be joined by fellow teammate Klark Quinn and team
owner Tony Quinn on the Carrera Cup grid – with the senior Quinn keen
to stretch his legs following 2100 triumphant Targa Tasmania kilometres.
“Targa Tasmania was great for us, I mean a top five is great any day,
especially with an under-developed car and a couple of old guys in it
(referring to himself and co-driver Keith Wenn),” said Tony.
“I can’t wait to get back into the car again for round two of the Carrera Cup after a few weeks break.
“Adelaide’s round one did not end that well for me through no fault of
our own (a race incident saw Quinn taken out of the final race) so I am
looking for a better result this weekend.”
Tony will be joined on the gird by son Klark in the number 28 Team VIP
Petfoods’ entry, looking to build on his solid overall top nine placing
at Adelaide’s round one.
“I feel Adelaide was a good starting point for me for the series, and I
am planning to build on that foundation this weekend,” said Klark.
“I also had some consistent results at the Australian Grand Prix’s
non-series round in March, so hopefully I can translate that to some
improved results this time around.”
The Team VIP Petfoods' Winton round schedule is below:
Friday 18th May, 2007:
10.15am – 10.35am: Carrera Cup – Practice One
11.45am – 12.05pm: Carrera Cup – Practice Two
Saturday 19th May, 2007:
11.00am – 11.20am: Carrera Cup – Qualifying
2.35pm – 2.55pm: Carrera Cup – Race One
Sunday 20th May, 2007:
9.00am – 9.20am: Carrera Cup – Race Two
12.30pm – 12.45pm: Carrera Cup – Race Three
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