IT’S official!
Four-time Bathurst 1000 winner Greg Murphy is making a comeback for this year’s Repco Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama.
The Kiwi Holden legend will team with countryman Richie Stanaway in a wildcard Commodore ZB run by Erebus Motorsport with backing from Boost Mobile’s Peter Adderton.
The car will carry Murphy’s famous #51, the number he carried to his famous ‘Lap of the Gods’ pole position and race victory at Bathurst in 2003 with Kmart Racing.
Murphy, 48, hasn’t competed in a Bathurst 1000 since 2014 when he shared a Holden Racing Team Commodore with James Courtney.
His last Supercars start was in that year’s Gold Coast 600, though he’s driven a range of Supercars during practice sessions since in his pit reporter television role.
The Kiwi won ’The Great Race’ in 1996, 1999, 2003 and 2004 and took pole position for the race in 2003 and 2011.
This year will mark his 23rd Bathurst 1000. He made his debut in the race in 1994 in a two-litre Toyota Carina alongside Englishman James Kaye though has exclusively raced Holdens in the 1000-kilometre classic ever since.
Murphy features prominently in our 400 page, ‘Racing the Lion’ Holden illustrated motorsport history book – you can get up to $20 off here if you bundle it up with another book from our range!
Bathurst 2021 will mark Murphy’s 201st Supercars Championship round and 443rd championship race.
“I’m very fortunate and lucky to be presented with the opportunity to go back and race at a place that means so much to me,” says Murphy.
“Peter (Adderton) played a significant role in how I came to be a full-time professional race car driver and now we are back here doing this together.
“Barry (Ryan, Erebus Motorsport CEO) and I have worked together several times and we have a great respect for each other. It’s going to be fun to go back and reminisce on some of the stories and memories that we’ve had in the past and I’m looking forward to the journey.”
Stanaway, 29, hasn’t raced since the 2019 Newcastle 500, his final appearance with Garry Rogers Motorsport. He stepped away from motorsport, though has been lured back for Bathurst.
The Kiwi won the 2017 Sandown 500 with Cam Waters for Tickford Racing and drove full-time for Tickford in 2018 before making the move to GRM in 2019.
Forced to step out of the car for a time due to a neck injury that season, he was later benched by team boss Garry Rogers partway through the Gold Coast 600 though returned for the remainder of the season.
“At first I didn’t think Pete was being serious, like a lot of people but then he reached out to me,” Stanaway said.
“I’ve had a really good relationship with Boost, it’s been great to have a sponsor that’s supported me and believed in me.
“I’m really grateful for their support and I’m glad we’re going ahead with it because I’m really looking forward to it.
“Murph has always been a big inspiration of mine and driving with Murph is one of the big reasons why I want to come back.”
The livery of the #51 Murphy/Stanaway Boost Mobile/Erebus Commodore will be revealed next month ahead of the Repco Bathurst 1000, which will be held at Mount Panorama on October 7-10.
