Craig Baird survives carnage to win in Race 1 of the Carrera Cup at the Clipsal 500 Craig Baird at the Clipsal 500. TWO drivers are counting the cost of the first race of the Porsche Carrera Cup Championship at Clipsal 500. The race had to be shortened from 12 laps to nine laps because of the length of time spent under safety car after New South Welshman Duvashen Padayachee collided with Victorian Marc Cini on the second lap. The only South Australian flying the hometown flag in the category, Nick Percat, started in pole position but lost the opening jump to New Zealander Craig Baird. Percat had all four tyres off the tarmac as he flew through the chicane but held on to second place until the end. Baird was never assailed during the race, despite the field bunching up for the restart on lap 7. Fellow former V8 Supercar drivers Stephen Richards and Warren Luff also swapped positions in the opening moments and finished the race in third and fourth place respectively. Both Padayachee and Cini failed to finish the race because of extensive front end damage in the collision at Turn 9. Padayachee tried to limp back to the pits but ran into the wall, losing his front left hand wheel in the process. Car 56 driven by Shane Smollen was the biggest loser in the restart, dropping six places to 19th but regained a place over young female driver Renee Gracie to finish 18th. Richards recorded the fastest lap of the race of 1:23.4 seconds on the last lap, 0.4 seconds shy of the lap record set last year by Baird.