Baird drives McLaren race car

Baird drives McLaren race car

Multi-national championship winning driver Craig Baird from the Triple X Motorsport team seized upon a rare opportunity to drive a rare McLaren race car during the weekend’s New Zealand Grand Prix race meeting at Manfeild on Friday 11 February.

The M22 model car is owned by Feilding father-son Terry and Tim Rush – and the last customer car ever built bearing the Bruce McLaren name.

“It’s one of those bucket-list things,” said the Gold Coast based Kiwi. “I spent time with Jan McLaren a few months ago (Bruce’s younger sister) – which stirred my desire to drive one of Bruce’s creations. So when the opportunity came up I could only accept.”

“It’s amazing to think that although Bruce died so long ago, he’d achieved so much by the time he was 33. I’d hate to think what he could have done if he were still around. For anyone racing in New Zealand – the McLaren name is pretty close to their heart. Then as you get older you look back at what people have achieved – so to get the opportunity to drive something that came out of a factory bearing his name carries a lot.”

Having been recently restored to its original running condition, Baird climbed aboard the former race-winning Formula 5000 car at the request of the Rush family.

“The cars were miles ahead of their time,” described Baird of his time behind the wheel of the 1972 built car. “Not only in power, but just the stability and way it rode the bumps. It was enjoyable and although they are irreplaceable, it does play on your mind to be that much more careful how you change gear and handle it. It’s almost a little bit emotional when you hop in something like that, because of its rarity and New Zealand connection. So it was with great appreciation I could fulfil such an emotional time thanks to an equally passionate Terry and Tim Rush.”

Racing the penultimate round of the 2010/2011 NZ Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge, defending title champion Baird in the ZM Mad Butcher Porsche 997 currently trails team-mate Daniel Gaunt in the MPD VnC Cocktails Porsche 997.
The three-race programme concludes on Sunday afternoon.

# # #

© Scoop Media