Supercars Legends / New Zealander
Greg Murphy
Four Bathurst victories, a remarkable Pukekohe record and one unforgettable qualifying lap made Murphy much more than a championship statistic.
By DriveAgent News · Historical profile · Records checked
The biography
The Hastings-born driver built his Australian touring-car reputation with Holden machinery. His first two Bathurst wins preceded 2001; the back-to-back victories with Rick Kelly in 2003 and 2004 belong to the heart of this collection.
The lap that outgrew the timing sheet
Murphy’s 2003 Bathurst Top 10 Shootout lap remains one of the most recognisable moments of the V8 era. The 2:06.8594 time broke through a barrier that had seemed remote earlier in the weekend. Its enduring nickname, the “Lap of the Gods”, belongs to the sport’s history rather than a new DriveAgent quotation.
The achievement was not confined to Saturday. Murphy and Rick Kelly won the race, then returned to win again in 2004. Putting the two days together matters: the qualifying spectacle was backed by the patient shared-drive work required to finish first over 1,000 kilometres.
A New Zealand connection
Murphy also helped make Supercars’ New Zealand visits feel like home events for local supporters. His official biography records nine Pukekohe race wins between 2001 and 2005. That record sits alongside four Bathurst victories across his career.
He did not win the Australian championship. That absence makes his inclusion useful: a Legends collection should explain influence, not simply sort title totals. Murphy’s pace at two very different circuits, and the memory of that 2003 lap, give readers another way to understand the personalities who shaped the period.