Author Profile

Mark Baker has been working in automotive PR and communications for more than two decades. For much longer than that he has been a motorsport journalist, photographer and competitor, witness to most of the most exciting and significant motorsport trends and events of the mid-late 20th Century. His earliest memories of motorsport were trips to races at Ohakea in the early 1960s, and later of annual summer pilgrimages to watch Shellsport racers and Mini 7s at Bay Park and winter sorties into forests around Kawerau and Rotorua to see the likes of Russell Brookes, Ari Vatanen and Mike Marshall ply their trade in group 4 Escorts. Together with Murray Taylor and TV producer/director Dave Hedge he has been responsible for helping to build New Zealand’s unique Toyota Racing Series into a globally recognized event brand under category managers Barrie and Louise Thomlinson. Now working for a variety of automotive and mainstream commercial clients, Mark has a unique perspective on recent motor racing history and the future career paths of our best and brightest young racers.

Latest Posts:
Category: Featured, NZ Circuit | Written by:

Time to get with the programme

April 8, 2019
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The race strategy review carried out by Motorsport New Zealand indicates a broad acceptance that international trends are bringing us…
Category: Featured, Single Seater | Written by:

Our lads in F3 – by the numbers

April 1, 2019
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In the extended build-up to the opening round of the FIA Formula 3 Championship, it might be interesting to throw…
Category: F1, Featured | Written by:

To see through the FOG

March 22, 2019 / 3 comments
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It’s been a while since Formula One was available live and free to air in New Zealand. In fact it’s…
Category: Featured, Single Seater | Written by:

Back into the breach as F3 testing begins

March 21, 2019
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New Zealand’s exciting renaissance in single-seaters continues this week as Marcus Armstrong and Liam Lawson join 29 other drivers and…
Category: Featured, NZ Circuit | Written by:

Springs Speedway – no more?

March 8, 2019
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This week, it was revealed that the promoters of Auckland’s historic Western Springs Speedway face an end to the sport’s…
Category: Featured, International, Single Seater | Written by:

The dark side of wellness in motorsport

March 4, 2019 / 1 comment
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We made an impressive sight. Anything up to 20 bods trooping into stages of the Rally of New Zealand, clutching…
Category: Featured, V8 | Written by:

The V8s: distraction or destination?

February 25, 2019
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Leaving aside three stand-out aberrations on the basis that they are exceptions that prove a rule, why aren’t Aussies thronging…
Category: Featured, V8 | Written by:

Gen 2 ruins the pony car

February 18, 2019
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Disclaimer: Mark Baker has no axe to grind or skin in this game. He did PR for the Bruce Miles-Castrol-Toyota…
Category: Featured, Single Seater | Written by:

Five torrid weeks deliver a worthy champion

February 11, 2019
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They fought for five weeks as the lead see-sawed back and forth. New Zealand’s two hottest prospects for international motorsport…
Category: Featured, Single Seater | Written by:

Armstrong ‘on-it’ at Manfeild on Saturday

February 9, 2019
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The pitched battle that has raged for four weeks between Marcus Armstrong and Liam Lawson took on an edge this…