New Zealand motor racing superstar Greg Murphy is set to return to the Australian GT grid as he lines up alongside Tony Quinn in the Darrell Lea Aston Martin Vantage V12 GT3 in the CAMS Australian Endurance Championship at Hampton Downs (October 28-30) and Highlands Motorsport Park (November 11-13).
A veteran of the sport, Murphy last raced in an Australian GT event at the end of 2013, where he co-drove the Highlands Motorsport Park backed McLaren MP4-12C with Neil Crompton. Murphy also drove the Trofeo Corvette GT3 at the 2013 Bathurst 12 Hour, a circuit around which he’s enjoyed phenomenal success.
“It was incredibly enjoyable, I loved it,” Murphy says of his 2013 Highlands 101 experience, “the atmosphere around the event was just fantastic.
“I’m at Hampton Downs all the time doing ride days and things and watching it evolve and seeing what’s happening – this is going to be amazing.
“With the 101 being there it’s something I wanted to be a part of. Tony mentioned it a while back and we just stayed in touch about it and it all played into each other’s hands.”
A former Bathurst 1000 winner, and multiple series champion in NZ SuperTourers, Murphy’s hugely successful motorsport career makes him an obvious choice as Quinn’s co-driver for the inaugural Hampton Downs 101.
“I think if you combined our ages we might be one of the oldest teams in the 101,” jokes Tony Quinn, who has campaigned the Darrell Lea Aston Martin Vantage V12 GT3 throughout 2016.
“In his day Greg was clearly one of the best drivers around but like all of us he’s getting a bit long in the tooth now,” Quinn added.
“We might not be as sharp as we used to be but we’ll go alright!
“He’s raced in GTs a couple of times before I think so I’m sure it won’t take him long to get back up to speed.
“The Kiwi spectators are very passionate about their local drivers and hopefully that transfers into them supporting our Australian GT events.”
Murphy admits he is excited to get back behind the wheel of a GT car, and is looking forward to experiencing the development in Australian GT first hand.
“It’s changed dramatically from a couple of years ago from when I did the event in Highlands,” Murphy says.
“It’s a very impressive looking championship and it’s really found a niche spot in Australasia – and around the world it’s doing some amazing things.
“The popularity of the GT class around the world it’s amazing to see the growth, and certainly in Australia.
“They’re cool,” Murphy adds of driving a GT machine. “They’re just awesome looking, they’re awesome to drive.
“With all the traction control, ABS and the aero it’s just a very different tool to get behind the wheel of.
“I think Hampton Downs is going to suit those cars massively, just the style of corners and some of the fast stuff there is going to be just awesome to drive a top GT car.”
The CAMS Australian Endurance Championship goes to Hampton Downs for the third round of the championship on October 28-30, where it will host the inaugural event on the newly extended Waikatao circuit.
Two weeks later the season wraps up with an action-packed weekend at Highlands Motorsport Park on November 11-13 where both the CAMS Australian Endurance Championship and CAMS Australian GT Championships will be decided.
With three events spread across two race weekends it makes for a thrilling climax to the 2016 season, which has already been the biggest season in Australian GT history.
