Motorsport: Baird fired up to lead track action at Timaru

The fourth round of the New Zealand premier race championship roars into action at Timaru this weekend.

After only four days of rest and rebuilding, racers and teams will be reigniting track action around the Levels circuit.

There have been six different winners in nine races of the NZV8s so far this season, with Craig Baird wrestling the lead from Angus Fogg at the end of racing last weekend in Invercargill.

Although down a little on straight-line speed, Baird more than made up for it around the back of the circuit. He's fired up heading to Timaru, as it's a track more suited to a well-handling car rather than a point-and-shoot.

"Timaru is a circuit I've always done well at, although I'd rather be saying that retrospectively - there is a lot more at stake when you're leading a championship," said Baird.

Kayne Scott has announced he's back to his best this season having taken pole position at the last two rounds in a car he describes as near enough to perfect in either the dry or the wet.

Two-time champion John McIntyre has hit a few speed bumps this season and will be looking to regain some consistency if he wants to push on and become the first driver to win three titles.

Baird's campaign to defend his Porsche GT3 Cup title received a fillip last weekend where he was clearly the master, leaping three places to finish the round in third place.

He'll need a repeat if he wants to further close on Jonny Reid and series leader Daniel Gaunt.

The opening round of the Toyota Racing Series had its hiccups with each race being stop-start affairs, but it did throw up three different winners in the opening gambit of the title race.

Some overseas drivers got to grips with the New Zealand conditions faster than others, with Aussie Scott Pye winning race one, Kiwi Mitch Evans race two and Britain's Alex Lynn winning a rain-sodden race three.

Dane Fisher has bragging rights in the Suzuki Swift Sport Cup Challenge over Mike Turley and A. J. Lauder. In the Formula Fords, Stefan Webling has bubbled to the top from Andre Heimgartner and Matt Williams.