NZ flashback 2001: When Supercars went to Murph’s turf
As Supercars returns to New Zealand at Taupo this weekend, reflect on when Greg Murphy ruled the first championship round across the ditch back in 2001 at Pukekohe.
Below is the AUTO ACTION report on the famous trip to Pukekohe by Jon Evans in issue #555.
Greg Murphy thrilled a capacity parochial crowd at Pukekohe Park Raceway by winning a hat-trick of races in the V8 International, the 12th round of the Shell Championship Series for V8 Supercars.
In a perfect scenario for the TWR-HRT Commodores, defending champion Mark Skaife also wrapped up his fourth title by finishing runner up, ahead of leading Ford driver Marcos Ambrose.
The Hastings (NZ) born 29-year-old emphatically repeated his trio of non-championship wins at this venue in 1996, and in the process became the first driver this year to convert the fastest run in provisional qualifying into a pole position from the Top 10 Shootout.
Murf subsequently won each of the three 36-lap encounters despite an extraordinary conclusion to a curtailed opening race, when the Kmart team successfully appealed against the initial result which declared Mark Larkham the victor – with his Karcher AU left crashed against the barriers. It was the Kiwi’s fifth SCS round win and sixth pole from 49 career starts.
“It has almost been the perfect weekend for me and the team,” beamed a delighted Murphy.
“Except for a moment where I accidentally hit the pitlane limiter (and a Friday touch into the back of a slowing Steve Ellery) it couldn’t have gone better.
“Quite frankly, I’m shocked as we started off so well and everythin went perfectly. The car was sensational and the boys did a great job – it was a great feeling to be in front of my home crowd.
“Going into Sandown, after maximum points here, it will be one hell of a battle for the championship podium.”
Skaife pressed hard in each race but, having sealed the title, obeyed gam orders to allow teammate son Bright ahead in the final event as he wrestles with Russell Ingall and Murphy over runner-up honours in the series.
“In reality, I didn’t have the same pace as Greg,” admitted Skaife.
The cover documenting greg Murphy’s perfect Pukekohe welcoming in 2001.
“His car looked after its rear tyres better than mine and I couldn’t do much to get at him. His peers have recognised that he did a great job and he thoroughly deserved the win.”
Star Supercars rookie Marcos Ambrose was again a revelation as the leading Ford contender after an opening lap, race one melee at the Holden Hairpin delayed or eliminated five fellow Falcon drivers.
“It’s my first time here so I’m not disappointed with third overall,” said Ambrose. “I drove the wheels off the car and we had to work hard 10 find a reasonable balance.
“First Ford home is best of the rest, to have an an accolade of sorts, but I want to be first home outright. This is a platform to build on as 2002 is going to be our year.”
Bright may have run fourth out. right but his opportunity to eat into Ingall’s points lead was diminished by a 50-point penalty for culpability in the first race crash, which he caused by unintentionally running into the back of Craig Lowndes.
Later in that same race he attempted to follow Ambrose past Ingall only to tip his adversary into a spin.
“I phoned Russell up later to talk about it,” Bright conceded. “He had slowed then let Marcos through as he thought it was a lot wetter than what it was.”
Russell’s weekend started well until gearbox trouble limited him to 10th from the Shootout. After the race one spin he recovered to finish fifth but forfeited fourth late in race two when he got stuck in sixth gear.
From the back of the grid he climbed to 11th in the final race in a typically hard charge although 12th overall was all that he could manage.
Fifth outright was a career best result for Rod Nash Racing, with driver Tony Longhurst impressive. A strong run qualified the VX in 18th place on the grid.
Second Falcon overall was Steve Johnson who, along with teammate Paul Radisich, struggled with understeer and delays. Iodd Kelly (seventh), Garth Tander (eighth) and Larry Perkins (ninth) all had time consuming delays of their own: Kelly served a stop-go penalty for pitlane speeding, Tander was spun by a lapped car and Perkins endured an additional stop in race one to secure a loose wheel.
Steve Ellery was delighted to emerge intact and unscathed in 10th after three solid performances having qualified for his third successive Shootout in the Supercheap AU.
Twenty-four hours earlier Murphy had been devastated by what he (correctly) perceived to be an incorrect call from officials.
“The Australians are running this show – it’s an absolute joke,” he protested. “Its disgusting, unbeliev-able, the biggest rort I’ve seen.” However, by Sunday night his demeanor had changed.
“It was a bit disappointing for the crowd who went home Saturday thinking we had been robbed of a win. We shouldn’t have to go and check that the result is made right.
“It was fairly clear who won but it put a bit of a downer on things until it was sorted out.
“People need to take more care to spend the same amount of time and effort as being as professional as the teams.”
Ultimately the local fans went away satisfied with a clean sweep impressive display from Team
Kiwi’s Jason Richards (a career best fourth in race one) and Aucklander Simon Wills, who so nearly might have won the first dry/wet race had the CAI team gambled on wets at the end of its pit window.
For one of their own, plus an impressive display from Team Kiwi’s Jason Richards (a career best fourth in race one) and Aucklander Simon Wills, who so nearly might have won the first dry/wet race had the CAI team gambled on wets.
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