THERE are few men, if any, who will line up in this year’s Bathurst 1000 that can boast more laps of the famous 6.213 kilometre Mount Panorama circuit than Craig Baird.

The New Zealand native is hoping that experience can lead him to his first Great Race podium.

When Baird gets behind the wheel this October as the co-driver for Erebus Motorsport talent David Reynolds, it will mark his 19th start in the Bathurst 1000.

That statistic alone will make him one of the most experienced drivers in the field at Mount Panorama, but his resume of racing at the track extends beyond that.

Baird contested rounds of the Carrera Cup in Bathurst when the all-Porsche series raced as a support category to the V8 Supercars, while he has competed in nine editions of the Bathurst 12 Hour.

He has handled cars from a vast array of manufacturers as well, having lapped the Mount in a Ford, Holden, BMW, Subaru, Porsche, Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes and Lamborghini in the past.

But it is the #9 Holden Commodore VF that he will be pushing to its limits this year.

“It’s great to be back for the endurance rounds this year,” Baird said.

“I’ve been a part of the Erebus family since the beginning, so it’s nice to be in a team where you know the infrastructure, the owner and the team members already. 

“The development of the car is going in a very positive direction and that showed with the speed Dave [Reynolds] had in Winton.”

Reynolds, who made the move from Prodrive to Erebus this season, is delighted to have Baird for the three endurance races – the Sandown 500, Bathurst 1000 and Gold Coast 600.

While his average finishing position in this year’s Supercars championship is 15th, Reynolds is hopeful of a much better showing with Baird.

“The way the car is coming along we can definitely fight up the front of the pack and Craig’s shown he has the talent in Supercars, coming fourth with Lee [Holdsworth] in the 2013 Enduro Cup,” Reynolds said.

“He’s the kind of driver you can just plug in to the car and he will be solid and on the pace all day long, which is perfect.

“Craig will be a great fit and I’m really glad to have him on board. This will be the first time I’ve raced with Bairdo and not against him. We have been in the same team before, but not the same car, so I’m really looking forward to it.”