Murphy backs Stanaway to revive season in Taupō

Supercars legend Greg Murphy has backed Richie Stanaway to "do something pretty impressive" and revive his stuttering 2025 campaign on home soil in Taupō.

It has so far been a season to forget for Stanaway, who is the lowest placed of the five New Zealanders in the drivers' standings, following a rotten run of luck across the first two rounds.

The PremiAir Racing recruit suffered an engine failure DNF in Sydney, before twice being hit out of top 10 positions in Melbourne. To add insult to injury, Stanaway had qualified fourth for the race that was abandoned due to rain.

To Taupō, Stanaway sits 23rd overall, 134 points behind 10th placed Nick Percat.

Four-time Bathurst winner Murphy, who shared a 2022 Bathurst wildcard with Stanaway, this weekend could be a chance for the PremiAir driver to "put runs on the board."

Stanaway knows how to get the job done in a Supercar in Taupō, famously charging from 23rd to sixth in last year's rain-affected race.

"Who's a bit of a smokey for the weekend, someone that I reckon is due to do something pretty impressive, I'm going to say that's Richie Stanaway," Murphy said in a Repco video.

"He's a Kiwi that knows how to get around the Taupō race track. He was strong last year, certainly in the wet conditions, we know he's a bit of a rain master.

"But I think it's time that that all came together for him and he starts to put runs on the board. It hasn't been a great start to the year for Richie."

This weekend is doubly vital for Stanaway, who not only wants to breathe life into his season, but also join Shane van Gisbergen and Scott McLaughlin as winners of the Jason Richards Memorial Trophy.

"Winning the JR Trophy would be incredibly special to me," Stanaway said recently.

"I was fortunate enough to meet Jason, before he passed on. I always just remember his charisma, great guy to be around.

"At that age, I was quite impressionable, and took a lot of inspiration from meeting him, and seeing him racing in Supercars.

"Winning it would mean I've done well in my home country, which you can't ask for much more as a Kiwi driver.

"Also, I need the championship points because I haven't had the best start to the season. So, having some success at home would be a great way to get my season back on track."

Track action in Taupō commences on Friday with two practice sessions.