Murphy proud of Bathurst swansong

Greg Murphy was “pleasantly surprised” with his own performance in what was likely his final Great Race.

Murphy and Richie Stanaway combined to finish 11th in Sunday’s Repco Bathurst 1000.

Murphy’s first Bathurst in eight years, and Stanaway’s first in three, featured several standout moments.

Stanaway qualified fifth, which became fourth for Sunday after Shane van Gisbergen was penalised.

Murphy started the race and was later turned around by Jake Kostecki.

Stanaway also held his own, and both drivers kept the car in the hunt.

The Boost Mobile-backed #51 Commodore ultimately came home 11th.

It was a mission to even get the car to Bathurst, with the 2021 wildcard programme canned due to COVID-19.

It was revived for 2022, and Murphy and Stanaway arrived prepared better than ever.

Murphy, who recently turned 50, proved sharper than he expected despite declaring he struggled to adapt to the current-generation cars.

Speaking on Supercars’ Cool Down Lap podcast, however, Murphy suggested he has made his final start.

When asked if he’ll come back and race, Murphy said: “Nope. Not in that capacity. Not a chance.

“I’ll be back, but not in that capacity.”

Murphy stole headlines when, in Thursday's dedicated co-driver practice session, he finally improved on his famous 'Lap of the Gods' time.

The four-time winner’s first race start since 2014 had its moments, and Murphy avoided being sucked in by the early drama.

Notably, he survived an overtake at The Chase by Zane Goddard, which led to the lap 5 pile-up.

Being turned by Kostecki at Griffin’s Bend was a setback, but the #51 remained a factor until the end.

The #51 was also caught out when it double-stacked behind the Triple Eight wildcard that it was sharing a pit boom with.

Still, despite the end result, Murphy admitted he had his qualms heading to the race.

“It’s a blur,” said Murphy, who was joined on the grid by his children.

“Just turning up, was quite anxious of the thought of getting into a routine for a Bathurst weekend.

“Doing it as a wildcard is particularly challenging. But we did good really, overall.

“I was pleasantly surprised with my own overall performance.

“I didn’t know what to expect in a Supercar after all this time.

“I tried to adapt to the future as it stands versus the past where I was.”

Murphy said that missing out on the top 10 meant little, saying there was much to be proud of.

Stanaway threatened sister Erebus car with Will Brown at the wheel towards the end.

The #51 crossed the line less than a second behind Brown.

He added that the overall performance of Stanaway proved his countryman still has what it takes.

Stanaway later said he felt armed to make a comeback, something Boost Mobile founder Peter Adderton hoped would happen.

For Murphy, however, 23 starts and four wins is set to remain his final stat sheet.

“I don’t think we’ve got anything to be upset about in any way, shape or form,” Murphy said of the result.

“I think it’s a great result. We had a bunch of things happen throughout the day.

“You see what could’ve been; I didn’t really want to do that, but you’re forced into it because of your competitive spirit.

“We’ve got a lot of things to be proud of, and Richie does; he’s proven what he’s capable of doing."

The 2022 season will continue at the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 on October 28-30.