Autofile pays tribute to Mark Baker

Mark Baker, a legend in the world of motorsport and motoring media, has passed away at home.

The team at Autofile was among those devastated to hear the news of his sudden death on October 15 after receiving a call from a family member.

He had covered motor racing for Autofile magazine and its website for a decade. He was also editor of NZ4WD magazine for about half that time and penned motorsport content for Motor Equipment News.

Mark, who attended Kawerau College and studied at the University of Waikato, ran his own consultancy, Veritas Communications, which he set up in August 2000 from his home in Papakura, south Auckland. 

Darren Risby, editor of Autofile, says: “Mark was one of the kindest, most humble and caring people I’ve had the privilege of meeting during my 35-year career as a journalist. He was generous, had a razor-sharp sense of humour and a big, saucy laugh. 

“We shared many stories of daring do from our lives and he certainly enriched mine. If laughter was a medicine, he was a tonic.

“Mark was also fearsomely strong. He suffered a stroke a few years ago and was told he might not even walk again. Well, he left hospital as soon as he could and confounded the experts by making an almost full recovery. It was an honour and inspiring to be on that part of his life journey.

“We shall all miss him dearly. Our heartfelt condolences go to his wife Dot, daughter Caitlin, brother Gary, and family and friends. He has left our world far too soon.”

Mark Baker’s funeral starts at 11am on October 24 at Fountains Funerals, 35 Wood Street, Papakura.

Homages to ‘caring bloke’

Many tributes to Mark Baker have been published. Here is a selection of them.

The team at Adrenaline Publishing: “It is with sadness we inform readers of the passing of NZ4WD editor Mark Baker, who also wrote motorsport content for our sister magazine Motor Equipment News. Mark originally supplied off-road racing content for NZ4WD and then moved into the editor’s role. 

“Mark competed in rallying and off-roading in his earlier days but then switched to media. He had an extensive career in motoring and motor-racing PR media including with Murray Taylor Racing, BMW, Castrol and many more. He had extensive involvement in the off-road racing scene including doing their PR work. Our condolences to his family. He will be sadly missed.” 

Grant McDonald, SpeedSport Ltd: “It’s very sad to report the passing of Mark, one of the earliest contributors to SpeedSport magazine.

“I knew Mark before then. When I was the Drive announcer at 1XX Whakatane around 1979-80, he approached me to do a promotion with rally driver Lee England. 

“I recorded an interview while we blasted through the Kawerau Forest in Lee’s Datsun, which I later played on-air to promote Lee’s entry, I believe, in Rally New Zealand. Mark was also contributing at the time for his local newspaper the Kawerau Gazette.

“Through Mark I met Eastern Bay of Plenty rally legends Will and Heather Orr and the late Paddy Davidson among others, and enjoyed attending local events. I also co-drove for Mark in a Maramarua Club Rally. Unfortunately, the Datsun slid off the road into a ditch, hit a hidden tree stump which launched the car in the air and into a roll. It ended with the car upside down on the road.

“His best talent was with pen and paper, or typewriter. By the time SpeedSport started publishing in January 1990, Mark and his brother Gary were heavily involved with off-roading. From issue five, in July 1990, Mark wrote regular off-road stories for SpeedSport. His final report was in our second-to-last issue, number 238 in June 2010, some 20 years later.

“Thank you Mark for your work and your friendship. SpeedSport recorded just a tiny amount of the writing you did across so many publications. Rest easy.”

Richard Edwards, Auto Media Group: “Mark was a true gentleman, and very kind and encouraging to me when I was starting out in the trade in the early 2000s.”

The NZ Petrolhead team: “Mark’s first Muddy Wheels column appeared in issue two of NZ Petrolhead almost 29 years ago and sadly what would be his last is in the latest mag. 

“NZ Petrolhead publisher Alistair Davidson knew Mark longer than that through mainstream motoring and motorsport media adventures. Mark was a kind, caring bloke who was honest to a fault. Rest in peace, you will be missed.”

Mad for motorsport

Mark Baker worked in automotive PR and communications for more than two decades. For longer than that he was a motorsport journalist, photographer and competitor, and a witness to many 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, Mount Maunganui. 

Mark also went on winter sorties into the 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 Racing, and TV producer and director Dave Hedge, he helped build the Toyota Racing Series into a globally recognised event and brand under category managers Barrie and Louise Thomlinson. 

Mark had a unique perspective on motor-racing history, and future career paths of Aotearoa’s best and brightest young racers.

Some of Mark’s career

Mark Baker started his own company, Veritas Communications, in August 2000. He was a “specialist of many things”, from public and private-sector contracts and commissions across communications, marketing and events sectors. 

He had a wide network of service providers and suppliers in online graphic design and advertising. There was a big focus on social media and helping SMEs develop an effective presence on the right platforms for their needs.

Mark’s clients came from many sectors including recruitment, central and local government, automotive, venture capital and sports event marketing.

He joined the Autofile team in November 2016, penning two pages of motorsport articles in each issue and contributing to the website. 

Mark started with Adrenaline Publishing in September 2021 where he was editor of NZ4WD magazine and contributor to Motor Equipment News.

From 2007 to October 2018, he was communications and media consultant for the Toyota Racing Series and TR86. 

His work there included media management, communications, social-media campaigns, television liaison for news and sports coverage, radio “voice” reports, and information resources for all media channels.

During 2014, Mark worked for the Recruitment, Consulting & Staffing Association of Australia and New Zealand. This contract-based role helped improve its profile in this country.

From 2010-11, he was a communications adviser for Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) during the establishment phase of the council-owned agency. Mark was subsequently contracted back to run communications around ATEED’s portion of the New Zealand 2011 Business Club for the Rugby World Cup. 

That was preceded by a four-year stint with Papakura District Council, which had the equivalent of 125 full-time staff and four operational wards. Baker oversaw a communications role there. One of the media people he answered queries for was Autofile’s Matthew Lowe, editor of the Papakura Courier at the time.

Mark also worked in the automotive sector as communications and media consultant for BMW Group NZ from 2000-06. He headed media liaison and strategy, communications and publications, including BMW Magazine and website content. 

His role there also included media drive fleet booking and management, vehicle launch events, drive route plotting and management, photography, video project management, and speech writing for the chief executive and senior managers. 

Rest easy, mate.