At a glance
Greg Murphy is adamant that driving a Supercar around Mt Panorama is not like riding a bike. The 50-year-old four-time Bathurst 1000 champion is back as a driver at the race that stops two nations, for the first time since 2014, teaming up with fellow Kiwi Richie Stanaway as a wildcard entrant for Erebus.
It marks a remarkable return to the spotlight for the Kiwi driver, who remains an icon for his sport in New Zealand and while it’s gone well so far, he is realistic and open about the challenges of getting into one of these cars at a track regarded as being up there with the toughest and least forgiving in the world.
Greg Murphy on returning to Bathurst
Murphy got a brief taste of going around Mt Panorama in the first practice session on Thursday morning, then had a full hour on his own in the second session that day, where he was able to gain confidence in the car and also do a lap quicker than his immortal Lap of the Gods from 2003.
But, he insists, doing this is not like riding a bike.
‘‘No it’s not, that phrase has been offered to me over the past six months about 150 times. I can honestly say it’s not like riding a bike,’’ Murphy insisted.
‘‘There are parts of it that are familiar, but I think people don’t have the timeline of when I was last in the mental space of driving a Supercar in competition. It was eight years ago.
‘‘You’ve only got so much brain capacity and mine is probably smaller than most.
‘‘So when you can delete files to replace them with other stuff that’s what happens and I’ve deleted a lot of files, because I didn’t need them anymore.
‘‘There is that familiar feel, but there is so much stuff that comes from repeating and I think I lack that natural instinct stuff you only get with doing this stuff day after day.’’
As well as winning the Bathurst
Kiwi drivers are out in force at this year’s Bathurst 1000, with eight of them taking part in this year’s great race around Mt Panorama.
Here’s everything you need to know about the eight drivers flying the New Zealand flag during the race.
SHANE VAN GISBERGEN
Team: Triple Eight Race Engineering
Partner: Garth Tander
Born: Auckland, May 9, 1989
Supercars debut: Oran Park, 2007
Best Bathurst 1000 result: Winner, 2020
Van Gisbergen is the clear favourite to win and he’s been the dominant driver in Supercars all year. In Garth Tander he’s got a veteran co-driver, who still has plenty of pace. Van Gisbergen was stunning at Pukekohe a few weeks ago, winning the Jason Richards Trophy, while last weekend showed he finished third in the WRC2 category. He and Tander will be the team to beat, but luck hasn’t always been on Van Gisbergen’s side at Bathurst.
JAXON EVANS
Team: Brad Jones Racing
Partner: Jack Smith
Born: Levin, September 19, 1996
Supercars debut: N/A
Best Bathurst 1000 result: N/A
1000 on four occasions, he also made it to the podium four other times. Victory this year would move him to sixth equal with Steven Richards for the most victories at Mt Panorama.
This will be Evans’ first experience racing in a Supercar, but he does know the Mt Panorama circuit, having competed in the Bathurst 12 Hour and Porsche Carrera Cup in the past. Teaming up with Jack Smith means they’re a youthful team and perhaps under-rated, but they could surprise and Evans has the potential to raise eyebrows.
ANDRE HEIMGARTNER
Team: Brad Jones Racing
Partner: Dale Wood
Born: Auckland, June 8, 1995
Supercars debut: Bathurst, 2014;
Best Bathurst 1000 result: 9th, 2017
In the eight years since he was thrown in the deep end, as a wildcard entrant for Super Black Racing, Heimgartner has matured as a driver and person. He seems comfortable at BJR and is consistently getting results, particularly at Pukekohe, where he made the podium twice. Don’t be surprised if he doesn’t place.
MATT PAYNE
Team: Grove Racing Partner: Lee Holdsworth
However, that’s perhaps getting ahead of things. Stanaway feels a top 10 finish would be a good result tomorrow, which is something Murphy would be delighted with.
Born: Auckland, October 3, 2002 Supercars debut: N/A
Best Bathurst 1000 result: N/A The 19-year-old Payne has been impressing those who’ve seen him in the Super 2 category this year and he’s won races in Perth and Sandown. Payne has already been confirmed as Lee Holdsworth’s full-time replacement at Grove Racing next season which hints at a bright future.
‘‘That would be an incredible outcome,’’ he said.
After retiring, Murphy stayed involved in Supercars by joining the TV commentary team, providing
Team: PremiAir Racing
Partner: Cameron Hill
Born: Palmerston North, December 3, 1986
Supercars debut: Bahrain, 2006;
Best Bathurst 1000 result: 4th, 2017
Pither has done it tough at the new PremiAir Racing team this year and he has felt their growing pains. Qualifying seems to be the team’s main issue, but Pither has been able to work his way through crowded fields and at an event such as Bathurst, where qualifying doesn’t mean much, that does count in his favour.
FABIAN COULTHARD
Team: Walkinshaw Andretti United
Partner: Chaz Mostert
Born: Burnley, UK, July 28, 1982
Supercars debut: Oran Park, 2004
Best Bathurst 1000 result: 3rd, 2017 Coulthard lost his seat as a main game driver this year, but was quickly snapped up as Chaz Mostert’s codriver. It makes them one of the most competitive teams in this year’s race. To keep his hand in, Coulthard has been competing in the Australian
excellent analysis and interviews from pit lane. However, the situation with the New Zealand border due to the Covid-19 pandemic ended that.
‘‘I’ve been coming here since 2015
Touring Car Series and won two of the three races at Phillip Island in March.
GREG MURPHY
Team: Erebus Motorsport
Partner: Richie Stanaway
Born: Hastings, August 23, 1972
Supercars debut: Bathurst, 1994
Best Bathurst 1000 result: Fourtime winner, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2004 Eight years after last competing in Supercars, Murphy is back. Although he stood down in 2014, he has kept his hand in with motorsport, driving occasionally. Whether Murphy is still as quick remains to be seen, but as for race nous there aren’t many other drivers who can match him.
RICHIE STANAWAY
Team: Erebus Motorsport
Partner: Greg Murphy
Born: Tauranga, November 24, 1991
Supercars debut: Sandown, 2016
Best Bathurst 1000 result: 12th, 2016 and 2019
During Stanaway’s two years as a main game Supercars driver before he suddenly retired at the age of 27, he wasn’t able to fulfil his potential, largely down to not being in good cars. After three years away he’s back and like Murphy, it’s a mystery to know how he’ll go. If it does go well, it could perhaps reignite his racing career.
in a media role, but 2019 was the last time I’d been to Bathurst,’’ he said.
‘‘So it’s a big gap and now I’m back in a very different role, one I was more used to than the one I replaced it with. I think it’s still sinking in to be honest.
‘‘I still feel like I’m going to wake up in a sweat, shake my head and say it was all a dream. But I’m pretty sure this is actually real.’’
Racing at Bathurst again turned out to be a drawn out process for Murphy and Stanaway.
Initially it was supposed to happen last year, but also postponed because of the New Zealand border issue, then plans for this year were hanging in the balance when Will Brown was involved in a big accident at Pukekohe last month.
Greg Murphy
If Brown’s car couldn’t be fixed in time, Erebus would have given him the car set aside for Murphy and Stanaway. Thankfully, the work was done in time for the all Kiwi team to be given the green light.
‘‘I wasn’t overly concerned at Pukekohe,’’ Murphy said.
‘‘When you’re under pressure, the things that can be done are pretty amazing.
‘‘I’m glad [racing at Bathurst] didn’t happen last year. When you look back on it, last year was a stupid idea, when fairly early on in the piece there was lockdowns and stuff.
‘‘It was pretty obvious it wasn’t going to happen, we fought and fought thinking we had to, but as it turned out this is a much better scenario and it’s given Richie and I a lot more time to prepare for it, mentally and physically.
‘‘It’s funny how things happen. Last year we thought it was a disaster and the end of the world, but this is definitely a better outcome.’’
Today:
■ 12.20pm to 1.20pm, practice (additional drivers only)
■ 3pm to 4pm – practice (all drivers)
■ 7.05pm to 7.50pm – Top 10 shootout
Tomorrow:
■ 10am to 10.20am – warmup
■ 10.40am to 11am – drivers’ parade
■ 1.15pm to 8pm – race
‘‘I still feel like I’m going to wake up in a sweat, shake my head and say it was all a dream.’’
‘‘You’ve only got so much brain capacity and mine is probably smaller than most.’’