Murphy and Kelly aiming to go back-to-back in Bathurst 1000
8/10/2004 22:07 (Press Release) -
Kmart Racing’s lead duo Greg Murphy and Rick Kelly know that retaining the Bathurst 1000 crown they earned last year will be a difficult task and won’t be resting on their 2003 laurels.
The duo, which crushed the opposition last year by leading for much of the distance in addition to starting from pole position thanks to the Kiwi’s record-setting lap, had a difficult Sandown 500 but are quietly confident they will be a factor in 2004.
“As we head to Bathurst, there’s a lot of talk about our performance up there last year,” says Murphy, who has won the classic race three times, in 1996, 1999 and 2003.
“Sure, 2003 was awesome, the best weekend of my motor racing life, but it doesn’t help us to win the 2004 race, which is what we’re setting out to do. Going back-to-back is something that would be pretty special if we could pull it off.
“We’re entering the race in a careful frame of mind. It’s never smart to make big predictions about what you’re going to do. We just work away at being the best we can be and prepare ourselves for another Bathurst campaign.”
Murphy will share the team’s #15 car with its regular pilot Rick Kelly. The 21 year old, who created history by becoming the youngest-ever driver to win Bathurst last year, sits fourth in the V8 Supercar Championship Series, within striking distance of leader Marcos Ambrose and challengers Jason Bright and Steven Richards.
“Our run at Sandown was a little disappointing, so we’ve got all fired up for Bathurst,” says Kelly.
“It’s not a hard race to get fired up for either. It’s such a special race on the V8 Supercar calendar and it’s the one that we all want to win. 2003 is the furthest thing from our minds because what happened last year doesn’t help us this year.
“I’d like to think we’re one of the favourites because we have one of the most evenly-matched driving line-ups in the race. But it’s a case of making sure we do everything possible to give ourselves a chance of victory.”
The Murphy/Kelly combination will also have a new-look Kmart Commodore for the Bathurst event, which will be revealed to the public at Wednesday’s official opening of the new pit facility at Mount Panorama.
Their teammates, Steve Owen and Tim Leahey, were retirements from the Sandown race but both are primed to get a result on the Mountain after a successful test at Phillip Island last week.
They will share the team’s #51 Commodore VY, which is in fact the same car used by Murphy and Kelly to win last year’s Bob Jane T-Marts 1000.
“Sandown was obviously a difficult pill to swallow, particularly because I didn’t even get to do a lap in race conditions there,” said Owen, who recently finished third in the Australian Formula Ford Championship.
“But Bathurst is something I’m pumped for. We had a good test at Phillip Island before packing up the truck, so that gives us some confidence going to the biggest race of the year.”
Leahey, who is a local and hails from Orange not far from Bathurst, recently drove in the final round of the GT Performance series for Volkswagen at Mallala in South Australia. He also tested with the team at Phillip Island last week and completed enough laps to get himself back into V8 ‘mode’ for Bathurst.
“I’m not a full-time V8 Supercar driver and I don’t get the chance to drive the cars more than a couple of times a year, so when you get a great chance like the one I have with Kmart Racing, you’ve got to take it,” he said.
“Steve’s form in qualifying at Sandown was great and I think we could surprise a few people at the Mountain.”
Kmart Racing Team Manager Rob Crawford is only too aware of how a V8 Supercar team can get carried away with the glitz and headlines of aiming for pole position and forgetting the 161-lap race. He has ensured the Clayton-based squad has its eyes firmly on the important tasks at hand.
“So much of the Bathurst result comes down to being prepared before you leave to go there,” he said.
“We’ve worked hard all year and, while the results overall haven’t quite been to the high levels we’ve achieved in the past, we’re still a great shot for The Great Race. Rick is still a chance with the championship chase and a good result at Bathurst would be the ideal set-up for the remaining three rounds.”
The Bathurst 1000 will be run on Sunday, October 10 over 161 laps. It will be telecast live on Network 10 from 7am on race day. For the first time in the event’s history, Friday qualifying will also be telecast. It will air from 1pm on Friday afternoon.
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