Mark's racing career started off on two wheels at the age of 15. Encouraged by a friend his cycling career quickly took off and lasted for 8 years during which time he raced for Wigmore Cycling Clib, San Fairy Ann, Medway Velo and Basingstoke Cycle Clubs. The Basingstoke club was one of the top english teams and featured a number of international cyclists. Success came into the form of a 3rd place in the Kent Road Race Championship. Mark also spent time racing in Belgium where he picked up some very valuable European experience which he would repeat later in motorsport at Le Mans.

The tough physical and psychological demands of competitive cycling established a self discipline at an early age which Mark has maintained throughout his racing career. Motivation to continually improve and be the best has meant that Mark constantly monitors his fitness and lifestyle and pursues a regime that keeps him at optimum condition for the challenges of competition. This is particularly demanding when working full time! However it has become a way of life for Mark and reflects his determination to succeed.

A road accident terminated Mark's cycling career and this proved to be a significant turning point. Mark turned his attention to the world of motorsport and, like so many succesful F1 drivers, to karting. His first venture in a kart was in 1994 at Buckmore Park circuit. On an icy track and competing against experienced drivers Mark won the final - his triumph set the scene for what has followed since. In Mark's words "That race was how I started my love of motorsport".

Indoor karting attracted Mark's attention next and again he proved to be very successful with many wins. It was time then to seek the challenges of more high performance twin engined karts and this took Mark through a number of outdoor summer, winter and endurance championships at Buckmore Park where he secured further triumphs with first places. Ongoing success then prompted Mark to enter the highly competitive world of Club 100 Championship racing - 100cc two stroke karts racing at circuits throughout the United Kingdom in a field of over 80 drivers. In the 5 years Mark raced in this championship he was never out of the top five in the Summer and Winter Championships and 3 years after competing for the first time won both the Summer and Winter Championships. While racing in Club 100 Mark took up invitations to drive in a range of other events and twice raced at Le Mans in the 24 hour Karting Endurance race. During this time racing karts Mark earned the respect of his fellow competitors and in the karting press has been described as "probably the most likeable person you will ever meet, but is a tough competitor behind the wheel of a kart".

It was inevitable that having achieved significant success in karting Mark would turn his attention to a new challenge and test of his abilities and he set his sights on racing single seaters. He had already "dipped his toe in the water" by testing at Formula Palmer Audi in 2001 and in Radicals in 2002. A fellow karter had moved into Formula Ford 2000 in 2003 and introduced Mark to Mike Read, owner of REON Motorsport. A test day was arranged, it went well and Mark was offered a seat to race in the 2004 Formula Ford 2000 Class B season. This motor racing series races at the top circuits across the United Kingdom. Not only would racing cars be the challenge Mark needed but he was also aware that he would be moving into the much tougher world of securing sponsorship ay a much higher level than he had needed in karting. Predictably he applied himself to the task of raising the sponsorhip required and the scene was set for his single seater debut.

The opening race of the season was at Rockingham and Mark finished 4th - not bad for a "rookie"!. Three rounds later racing at his home circuit, Brands Hatch, in front of a crowd of 50,000 Mark won for the first time and described his feelings as "unbelievable". Mark won another 3 rounds and was in strong contention of winning the Championship in his first year of racing cars. The next race was at Oulton Park where testing was going well - Mark clocking times of 1 second under the lap record. He was sure that he could improve on this further and went out again but, pushing the car to it's limits, he came off the circuit close to 120 mph and was taken to hospital with severe concussion. Time was needed to recover and be passed fit to race, the car was badly damaged and the combination of the two meant that Mark could not complete the season. Mark was very disappointed but nevertheless accepted that in his "rookie" season he had been very succesful with a number of wins.

During the winter break Mark made the decision to move up into Formula Ford Class A wth REON Motorsport and secured the sponsorship necessary for the 2005 season. Pre season testing went well but the car developed engine performance faults in the first race at Silverstone and it took the first three months of the season for them to be resolved. Once back in the contention Mark started to log results in the top 4 places in the remaining races and finished 5th in the Championship. Overall this was a very respectable position having lost half of the season and demonstrated he is not a man to give up but instead saw the setbacks as a challenge.

This Championship was to have marked the end of the 2005 racing season for Mark but the team boss of REON Motorsport invited Mark to race in the Formula Renault Winter Series at Brands Hatch in November 2005. This is a forumla Mark was aspiring to race in and he put alot of effort in securing the sponsorship required for the one day events. Team boss, Mike Read, was very keen to see Mark try this forumula but warned him that moving up to Formula Renault placed different demands on the driver and advised him that he should be prepared to face some difficulties.

Testing took the place the day before the races and clue to the short preparation time Mark was racing a car in a seat fitting for the previous driver. It was 20 kilos overweight and had old tyres. In addition the testing session was reduced to 20 minutes due to several red flagged incidents. Undeterred on race day Mark demonstarted his significant natural talents as a driver by finishing overall 3rd in the Championship! Mike Read declared himself to "be over the moon" and confirmed the offer of a seat to Mark for the 2006 Formula Renault season.

The 2006 season proved that Mark certainly had the skills and aptitude to master this Formula and by the end of the season he finished second in the Formula Renault Championship. This was a brilliant result as a rookie especially as Mark was competing against drivers who had been racing in the series for several years.

Never one to rest on his laurels Mark had already identified during the latter part of the 2006 season that he would like to move up to another formula that of Formula 3. Marks total determination to achieve this goal enabled him to secure a seat in this Formula for 2007 and he embarked on honing his skills to drive this much more demanding car. True to form Mark continued his racing success by coming third in the Championship.

Preparation is well under way for the 2008 season in which Mark will be driving again in the Formula 3 series but in a newer car with higher performance. He has also joined a new team Mark Bailey Racing. Marks training schedule has stepped up several levels and in order to further improve his fitness and stamina. There can be no doubt that you will not find a more motivated driver determined to succeed as Mark continues to challenge himself and his competitors on 4 wheels!