Murphy/Stanaway Bathurst wildcard called off

Erebus Motorsport has confirmed the Boost Mobile-backed Greg Murphy/Richie Stanaway wildcard will not feature at this year’s Repco Bathurst 1000.

It was announced in June that Erebus and Boost had united to bring the two Kiwi drivers together for a tilt at Bathurst glory.

New Zealand-based Murphy and Stanaway were set to make their first Bathurst starts since 2014 and 2019 respectively.

However, the pair were unable to acquire a place in the Managed Isolation and Quarantine programme to facilitate their return to New Zealand following the event.

The grid for the 2021 race is now 25 cars, with the Broc Feeney/Russell Ingall Triple Eight Race Engineering entry now the only wildcard.

"Unfortunately, the news is not what Richie or I, or Peter Adderton and the team at Boost and Erebus wanted,” Murphy told Supercars.com.

“We've just run out of options as far as trying to get confirmation or be able to get back to New Zealand after coming to Australia.

“We can't afford to get stuck over there and, and not have any knowledge on how we're going to get back.

“Getting to the stage of making this decision really sort of makes us realise how difficult that must be for so many people.”

Murphy paid tribute to the overwhelming fan support of the wildcard initiative, which coaxed himself and Stanaway out of Supercars retirement.

“It's just been incredible,” he said of the fan support.

“I'm very, very humbled by the support and the fan response.

“We were really hopeful because of what we were going to do this year with the wildcard; it was about the fans and about the fans' enjoyment.

"Richie and I have spent time together and we were genuinely looking forward to working together and grow-ing together, so to have it all fall over, it's disappointing.

"But we are both fired up, we've done a lot this year, there's been a lot of preparation, there's been so much money poured into it by everybody at Boost and Erebus and the time and effort and they've built a beautiful car for us that we've not been able to touch.”

The four-time Bathurst winner's wait for a 23rd Great Race start will extend in 2022, with Murphy reiterating his desire to return next year.

'I'm very, very humbled by the support and the fan response'

"To do it the right way will be amazing, and that's what the initial plan was, and that's really important,” he said.

"We've been compromised massively not being able to come to Australia and set up the way that we intend-ed.

“If we can move past this one, and then make a plan for next year and actually be able to implement as necessary, that'll be amazing.

“Fingers crossed that they make it can happen and yeah, it can be in 10 months’ time.

“I just really want to thank all the fans for all their support and all the messages and all the stuff they've done. That certainly means mean a lot to me and to Richie and the rest of the team."

"I want to thank everyone who has been involved behind the scenes for several months now in our attempt to be able to not just bring Greg and Richie over to Australia, but ensure they can then safely return home,” Boost Mobile founder Peter Adderton said.

'They've built a beautiful car for us that we've not been able to touch'

"We are a people-driven company and we ultimately could not ask Greg and Richie to come over here in good conscience knowing we had no clear timeline for their return to New Zealand.

"We did everything within our means to make this happen and I am so bitterly disappointed that it is not to be. I also want to thank the many fans who have reached out both publicly and privately not just to express their sup-port but also to see how they could help.

"It shows just how special this would have been, which is why we will do everything possible to make this happen in 2022 instead."

Erebus Motorsport CEO Barry Ryan added: "I want to thank everyone that has stayed committed to this project right until the very end. It is not over though, we will call it postponed as we look forward to options in 2022.

"Everyone has put in such a tremendous effort and we are extremely disappointed that with all the work and preparation from both Boost Mobile and our team that we haven’t been able to see this come to fruition.

"Peter Adderton’s enthusiasm is second to none and he and everyone at Boost Mobile has done absolutely everything in his power to try and bring this to life for the fans. I want to thank him for his passion and vision. Also a thank you to our team who have built a superb car and done everything to ensure this car is ready come race day.

"We should all be proud of our efforts to get this so close to happening and I look forward to seeing us pull it off in 2022. I hope for a less COVID-affected season next year and seeing all fans, both from Australia and New Zealand, able to come and support us at Bathurst."

The Repco Bathurst 1000 will be held over six days from November 30.

The race will be held on December 5. Tickets for the event are on sale now.