Murphy to make Bathurst return in Commodore

Four-time Bathurst 1000 winner Greg Murphy is making a return to racing at Mount Panorama in a V8 Commodore at this year’s Repco Bathurst 1000.

The Kiwi racing legend will drive a Holden Commodore VN Group A car in the V8 Sleuth Heritage Revival at Mount Panorama this October.

He will get behind the wheel of a Perkins Engineering-built Commodore that was owned and raced in period by Sydney privateer Bob Pearson under the Pro-Duct Motorsport banner.

The car raced in the 1991 Bathurst 1000 and was driven by Pearson and veteran co-driver Bruce Stewart. It will carry Murphy’s familiar #51 at Bathurst this year.

The Commodore has been expertly restored to period specification and livery, complete with yellow spider’s web across the car’s bonnet, front guards and bumper bar as it ran in period at Eastern Creek’s Winfield Triple Challenge in 1992.

The Revival event features a range of Heritage Touring Cars from the Group C, Group A, Super Touring and early five-litre/V8 Supercars eras.

“I’ve got a special affinity with the historic stuff, I just love it,” says Murphy.

“I’ve been very fortunate in recent years to drive a bunch of Pete Sturgeon’s cars – the Peanut Slab Sierra and BMW M3 – and Perry Bitsakis’ Nissan Skyline HR31 – and I just love the historic side of things.

“It’s always an honour and a privilege to drive someone else’s pride and joy, so to have the chance to drive the Pro-Duct Commodore at Bathurst is an opportunity I wasn’t going to pass up. It’s really, really cool.

“The V8 Sleuth Heritage Revival is going to be very special because of the turn out (55 cars) we’ll have in the class and it’s going to provide the many, many fans with so many memories and bring back so much of what has made Bathurst what it is.”

Murphy made his Bathurst 1000 debut in 1994 and made 23 starts in the ‘Great Race’.

He won the race four times; in 1996 with Craig Lowndes for the Holden Racing Team, in 1999 with Steve Richards for Gibson Motorsport, and in 2003 and 2004 with Rick Kelly for Kmart Racing.

Murphy also took pole position for the race twice, his 2003 ‘Lap of the Gods’ aboard the #51 Kmart Commodore VY immortalised in the history books. He also took pole in a Pepsi-backed, Kelly Racing Commodore in 2011.

The Pro-Duct Commodore VN that Murphy will race is owned by Sydney racer Jamie McDonald, who will also line up on the grid in the V8 Sleuth Heritage Revival at Bathurst.

McDonald will drive another Pro-Duct Motorsport Commodore at Bathurst in the Revival event. His winged, 1993-spec VP Commodore was raced in the ‘1000 by Pearson’s team in 1993 and 1995.

“Greg is a really great fit for the Revival at Bathurst this year,” says McDonald.

“He ran with us in the Heritage Touring Cars at Phillip Island last year in the Nissan – he’s quick without even trying!

“I’m looking forward to having him race with us again, this time in the Commodore at Bathurst.”

Murphy isn’t the only Bathurst 1000 in the field for this year’s V8 Sleuth Heritage Revival.

Two-time winner John Bowe will take the wheel of a Group C, ex-Allan Grice STP Commodore and the 1992 race-winning Winfield Nissan GT-R – driven to a controversial victory by Jim Richards and Mark Skaife – will also be among the Revival field that will compete in four races over the course of the Repco Bathurst 1000 event.

Dunlop Series-leading team Eggleston Motorsport has confirmed it will field an ex-Peter Brock, Holden Racing Team VR Commodore in the 55-car field.

A horde of Super Tourers from New Zealand will also be among the bumper field too, including an ex-Jim Richards Volvo S40 and ex-Tony Longhurst and Paul Morris BMWs.

The V8 Sleuth Heritage Revival will run at this year’s Repco Bathurst 1000, which will be held at Mount Panorama across October 10-13.

A range of other cars and drivers competing in the event will be confirmed in upcoming weeks ahead of a full field taking to the famous circuit.