GT
NZ GT3: Series Pukekohe Park Saturday notes
BAIRD WINS AS PUNCTURE ENDS HALLIDAY'S EARLY RUN Craig Baird got the defence of his Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge championship title off to a great start with a win in the first race of the 2009/10 season at Pukekohe Park Raceway this ...
Published: Nov 8, 2009, 7:33 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
BAIRD WINS AS PUNCTURE ENDS HALLIDAY'S EARLY RUN
Craig Baird got the defence of his Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge championship title off to a great start with a win in the first race of the 2009/10 season at Pukekohe Park Raceway this afternoon (Saturday Nov 07).
But that was only half the story of an eventful first day at the 2009/10 season-opening Fujitsu 200 meeting at the high speed Franklin County motor racing circuit.
Earlier, Baird's former series sparring partner Matt Halliday, back home after a successful first stint in the F1-supporting Porsche SuperCup championship in Europe, qualified quickest before getting the better of fellow front row starter Baird off the line in the first of the new season's 36 lap/100km endurance races.
Despite intense pressure from Baird, Halliday remained in front, and after staying out longer than Baird during the compulsory pit stop window retained the advantage over Baird through the middle of the race only to slow dramatically with what turned out to be a puncture with just six laps to go.
That sent him back to the pits for a second time, gifting the race win to Baird from Daniel Gaunt, impressive young gun Courtney Letica and Halliday's teammate in the second Fisher & Paykel-backed Giltrap Group team car, international single-seater ace Jonny Reid.
Fifth was young second-generation racer Ant Pedersen, still not feeling 100% after being laid low by the flu on Friday, sixth reigning Toyota Racing Series champion Mitch Cunningham in his debut race in the Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge category.
Quick pit work to replace his car's left rear tyre saw Matt Halliday back in the race just one lap down in seventh place with series regular Andrew Bagnall eighth and defending 996 category-within-a-category champion Hugh Gardiner the first of the 996 GT3 Cup car drivers home in ninth place.
Action in the race revolved around the leading group which consisted of Halliday, Baird, Gaunt, Letica and Reid, a closely matched Pedersen and Cunningham, then Gardiner's giant-killing antics with the first of the 996s.
Also impressing in a 996 was young gun Simon Evans, son of Porsche racing stalwart Owen Evans. He qualified 12th and finished his first race in the category in 10th place overall and second 996 driver home.
Today's race was the first of three for the Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge championship this weekend with a 12 lap fastest-to-the-front sprint race on Sunday morning and a 16-lap top six reverse grid race in the afternoon.
-credit: nz gt3
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article GTO: Series Portimao Friday notes
Next article NZ GT3: Series Pukekohe Park Sunday notes
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Daniel Gaunt
Format change creates Asian F3, TRS rivalry
Other open wheel
Other open wheel
Format change creates Asian F3, TRS rivalry
Erebus steals pole from favourites on the mountain
Endurance
Endurance
Erebus steals pole from favourites on the mountain
Records smashed at Bathurst 12 Hour Fast Friday
Endurance
Endurance
Records smashed at Bathurst 12 Hour Fast Friday
Latest news
Complete NASCAR Cup points standings after 2026 Talladega II
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Talladega II
Complete NASCAR Cup points standings after 2026 Talladega II
Official race results: NASCAR Cup Talladega Chase race
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Talladega II
30 min
Official race results: NASCAR Cup Talladega Chase race
How will Kimi Antonelli become F1 world champion at Mexico GP?
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
34 min
How will Kimi Antonelli become F1 world champion at Mexico GP?
Kyle Larson wins wild Talladega NASCAR Cup race after charging from 11th on final lap
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Talladega II
52 min
Kyle Larson wins wild Talladega NASCAR Cup race after charging from 11th on final lap
Feature
Discover prime content
Did Audi ‘give up’ on GT3 too soon?
GT
By James Newbold
Did Audi ‘give up’ on GT3 too soon?
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe