Greg Murphy reveals shock Bathurst entry is a returned favour 27 years in the making

June 8, 2021

The Kiwi motorsport great has come out of retirement for a wildcard drive on Mount Panorama thanks to an old friend.

Kiwi motorsport great Greg Murphy is still coming to terms with his own shock announcement this morning but knows the journey ahead before his return to Mount Panorama isn't going to be an easy one.

Murphy stunned and delighted Supercars fans this morning when he announced he was coming out of retirement to compete at this year's Bathurst 1000 alongside fellow Kiwi Richie Stanaway in a wildcard entry in a Commodore as part of the Erebus Motorsport team.

The race on October 10 will be Murphy's 23rd start in the endurance race and first since the 48-year-old retired in 2014.

"I'm still pinching myself to make sure this is real because it's not something that I had anticipated, been dreaming about or planning for," Murphy told 1 NEWS.

"My career as a race car driver in the Supercars Championship finished in 2014 and I was pretty happy with that space.

"So to be talked into getting back into a race car in the biggest race of the year - I'm still trying to make sense of it in my brain!"

The four-time Bathurst champion said the return has quite a tale to it, being a favour to an old friend 27 years in the making.

"Peter Adderton, who's the man behind Boost Mobile, is the guy that gave me my first shot in Australia back in 1994," Murphy said.

"He walked into a garage in Sydney Motorsport Park after my first ever race in Australia back in 1994 and offered me a drive in a touring car at an event and basically that was my big step up to get myself recognised in Australia.

"We've been close since that time - he supported me through my first three or four years in Australia.

"He's made me feel like I need to repay him in some way, shape or form and he wanted to put a wildcard team together so we've been convinced!"

Murphy admitted the road ahead won't be smooth though with the challenge of getting back up to race fitness at the forefront of his mind.

"It's a big task because at the end of the day, Richie and I have a pretty pragmatic view on where we're going to compete at Bathurst and I've been out of the car for a long time.

"There's a lot of preparation that I've got to do physically and some time in the car, the current car because it's changed a lot since my time, is going to be a big one.

"The goals are bit different to seven years ago but you still need to put a whole lot of effort in."

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