Motorsport: Greg Murphy managing to turn back time at Bathurst

Legendary driver Jim Richards won Bathurst aged 55, can Greg Murphy follow in his footsteps and win in his 50th year? Photo / Photosport

Greg Murphy is having to change the way he drives as he looks to produce a competitive performance in his Bathurst comeback tomorrow.

The four-time Bathurst champion hasn't raced full-time in Supercars for a decade, and says while the cars are now better and easier to drive, he has been forced to adjust his approach to get the most out of them.

"The philosophy of the cars hasn't changed and the engines are effectively the same," Murphy told the Weekend Herald from Bathurst.

"The systems are pretty much all the same. The biggest change is how all the teams have developed suspension geometry design, and all that stuff has made a much better car.

"I've made a lot of progress and it's only going to get better. Things have changed over the years: how you approach a corner, how much speed you can carry, where you turn in and how you brake have all evolved with these new cars.

"You carry a lot more brake into the corner than you are used to.

"The car is a lot more stable now and it brakes and corners better than I'm used to, so I have to do things a bit differently to be fast. The car is really, really good, very stable and enjoyable to drive, and you can push hard."

Murphy entered Bathurst folklore with his record-smashing Lap of the Gods in 2003. The 50-year-old clocked an encouraging 2m 05.87s in practice on Thursday — almost a second faster than his most famous lap around Mt Panorama and 1.7s down on Garth Tander, who was quickest in the first co-driver session.

Murphy, making his first Bathurst start since 2014, and co-driver Richie Stanaway were slated to compete as wild cards last year until Covid ruined those plans but the additional year to prepare has been beneficial.

"I'm definitely feeling more comfortable in the car. The extra time has allowed me to do a lot of extra training, which is good. Not as much as would be expected if you're a full-time driver, but certainly a lot more in the last 16 months than I would have if I wasn't racing this weekend.

"The weather isn't supposed to be that flash this weekend, which has, pardon the pun, put a bit of a dampener on the weekend. I would have preferred a sunny weekend.

"It's physically tough racing these cars, especially if it's a fast race on a hot day. If it's going to be wet the whole race, you certainly won't be using as much energy if it's dry and hot," he said.

Murphy's expectations are evolving around how he and Stanaway will fare this weekend.

"The car will work better for me at Bathurst than at Winton [during testing], as the track is fast and flowing, rather than stop-start at Winton.

"We're still trying to work out what our expectations are for the race. Each session will determine what's realistic and possible.

"A top-10 finish would be phenomenal. But everything is far from a done deal. There are just so many unknowns."

The event got off to a dream start for the pair on Friday with Stanaway sending their car into the top-10 shootout after an impressive lap in very wet conditions on the mountain. That result came after their car experienced multiple mechanical faults during the day's practice sessions and limited laps for both drivers, making it all the more special.

"It's awesome," Stanaway said following qualifying. "I know it's only qualifying for a 1000km race but I was quietly hoping to get into the shootout coming back. I'm stoked to make it in."

While it will be Stanaway taking part in the shoot-out, not Murphy, it will still be a poignant moment for Kiwi motorsport fans and the legend himself.

The Bathurst round of Supercars is worth double points — 300 for the win.

Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen leads by 525 points on 2782, having won 18 of this year's 29 races. The Supercars season concludes with the Gold Coast 500 in three weeks and the Adelaide 500 on December 3-4.