Murphy and Kelly go back-to-back in Bathurst 1000
18/10/2004 19:39 (Press Release) -
Greg Murphy and Rick Kelly have pulled off a remarkable second consecutive victory in the Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama. The Kmart Racing duo came out on top in one of the most competitive V8 Supercar endurance races in history, taking the chequered flag of the Falcon of Glenn Seton and Craig Lowndes to record Holden’s six consecutive victory in Australia’s Great Race.
“It was a tough day and not easy at all,” said Murphy, who claimed his fourth victory on the Mountain.
“I made a bad start and the car wasn’t quite on the pace in the first stint. The guys called a really great five pit stop strategy and we had a Safety Car period where we could top up the tank and run to the finish.
“In that last stint the car got better and better as the fuel load wore off. This is just awesome.”
The race featured plenty of incidents and was made all the more difficult by a variety of the top teams making different strategic calls for their pit stops.
Rick Kelly drove two superb stints to help the #15 Kmart Commodore get to the line first, making it two Bathurst wins from just four starts.
“It was a very difficult race to read and in the lead-up we knew it would be difficult,” said the 21-year-old, who moves to third place in the championship.
“I was watching Murph for the last 30 laps and felt like it took five years off my life!”
While the team’s lead car starred, the #51 Kmart Commodore finished in a fantastic eighth spot, driven by Formula Ford star Steve Owen and Orange-based ‘local lad’ Tim Leahey.
They finished one lap down on their team-mates, but had a variety of dramas that threatened them. Owen was beside Scot John Cleland when the Falcon driver rolled out of the race, while Leahey suffered a spin when tagged by Paul Weel at Griffin’s Bend.
“We probably should have been one or two spots up there given the pace I had in the last stint,” said Owen.
“We lost our lap when we pitted under a Safety Car while Rick was leading. They made a mistake and didn’t pick him up, which dropped us behind him in the queue. But all in all, it was a great run.”
Partner Leahey recorded his best-ever Bathurst 1000 result and was thrilled with the performance of the team’s #51 car.
“I would have liked to have been a little quicker in my stints but I wasn’t willing to risk the race result in order to find a bit of speed,” he said.
“I just stayed at a speed I knew I could do comfortably. I got caught up in a couple of dramas in my second stint but the team did a great job.”
Team manager Rob Crawford was ecstatic with the result.
“To win back-to-back Bathurst crowns is a fantastic effort and just says volumes for the group of people we have at Kmart Racing,” he said.
The team will now prepare for the next round of the V8 Supercar Championship Series at the Lexmark Indy 300 in two weeks time.
FINAL RESULTS – Round 10, Bob Jane T-Marts 1000, Mount Panorama, Bathurst, NSW, October 10 2004:
1. Greg Murphy/Rick Kelly, Kmart Commodore VY, 161 laps
2. Glenn Seton/Craig Lowndes, FPR Falcon BA, 161 laps
3. John Bowe/Brad Jones, OzEmail Falcon BA, 161 laps
4. Marcos Ambrose/Greg Ritter, Pirtek Falcon BA, 161 laps
5. Jason Bargwanna/Mark Winterbottom, Orrcon Falcon BA, 161 laps
6. Russell Ingall/Cameron McLean, Caltex Falcon BA, 161 laps
7. Steven Johnson/Warren Luff, Shell Helix Falcon BA, 161 laps
8. Steve Owen/Tim Leahey, Kmart Commodore VY, 160 laps
9. Alex Davison/Jamie Whincup, Castrol Commodore VX, 160 laps
10. Nathan Pretty/Allan Simonsen, Valvoline Commodore VY, 160 laps
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (after 10 of 13 rounds): 1. Ambrose 1667, 2. Bright 1612, 3. R.Kelly 1565, 4. Ingall 1519, 5. S.Richards 1509, 6. Murphy 1476.
Release Date: 10/04/2004
K-Mart Racing
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