Sayonara Murf??

[mountainstar]

I think murf is the forgotten man of V8SC. Anytime I watch races he never features and it seemed 2003 was his peak year.

Partly I think the championship is more competitive with more top teams, more talent in the pitlane and in the driving seat.

I'm only on the sidelines but he just doesn't seem to have the fight or the motivation anymore when he's driving. When I watch him it just seems like he's tooling around at the back of the field. I don't think it's age, he's only in his late 30's and at his age for motor racing as long as you stay fit and healthy it isn't a problem. There are plenty of champions in their 40's in touring cars or tin tops.

[GTRMagic]

Options For PMM Abound

[Axeman444]

with the words in that article is it a foregone conclusion there is no Murf/PMM next year??

[Wood-duck]

The way I read that article it is good night Murph... Morris admits openly that Murphy has difficulty adjusting his driving style to suit the T8 rig. Mr Owen seems to have no difficulty with it...

[eduardo1]

Originally Posted by Wood-duck

The way I read that article it is good night Murph... Morris admits openly that Murphy has difficulty adjusting his driving style to suit the T8 rig. Mr Owen seems to have no difficulty with it...

Word is the Triple 8 cars are very difficult to drive - as most cars are when they're the fastest in the field. The same thing was said about Ambrose's SBR Falcons, hence he had trouble finding co-drivers that could do the job for him.

Steve Owen has done an excellent job, but a co-driver's job is far different to a lead driver's job. He is handed a set-up car that is already fast and told to go to a certain speed, which he does. He did have trouble adapting to the car at first though.

Murphy, on the other hand, has to sort the car out at the weekend and tune it to be fast. Remember they may be Triple 8 built, but they're prepared by PMM. It's not exactly an apples for apples comparison.

But Murph is definitely gone from PMM for 2011. Not sure where he'll go, as he himself has said, there's not many openings left, especially not at his salary level.

Interesting that Morris used salary level (or value for money) as a reason behind Murphy being replaced, saying the younger guys are cheaper.

There is a rumour going around that Courtney is one of the names linked to that drive. Castrol will want a name driver to replace Murphy, and neither Steve Owen nor Jack Perkins fill that bill. Courtney would definitely be more expensive than Murphy, especially if he wins the title this year.

Personally I don't think Courtney would go there, mostly because of the acrimony between himself and both Ingall and Morris.

[rik]

Originally Posted by eduardo1

Personally I don't think Courtney would go there, mostly because of the acrimony between himself and both Ingall and Morris.

Weren't Ingall and Courtney chummy at SBR?

[Axeman444]

Originally Posted by rik

Weren't Ingall and Courtney chummy at SBR?

err not exactly...

[E36ST]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

Self-fulfilling prophesy?

Is this in hope that the Murf-Nation gets behind their fallen star and politicks their way into keeping his seat warm?

Whilst Murphy has had some tremendous success he is now past his use by date. Time for him to join the Australian Top Gear cast or something similar.

One of the announcers made the comment yesterday about many Kiwi's feeling that The Giz is the most talented driver to come out of NZ since Jim Richards, which neatly overlooks Murphy. Says it all really.

[peckstar]

Originally Posted by E36ST

Whilst Murphy has had some tremendous success he is now past his use by date. Time for him to join the Australian Top Gear cast or something similar.

One of the announcers made the comment yesterday about many Kiwi's feeling that The Giz is the most talented driver to come out of NZ since Jim Richards, which neatly overlooks Murphy. Says it all really.

The Giz and Murph at Bathurst, i like it. In a SBR car, the irony. I would buy the hat

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by E36ST

Whilst Murphy has had some tremendous success he is now past his use by date. Time for him to join the Australian Top Gear cast or something similar.

One of the announcers made the comment yesterday about many Kiwi's feeling that The Giz is the most talented driver to come out of NZ since Jim Richards, which neatly overlooks Murphy. Says it all really.

Murphy was always too much of a hot head, too inconsistent and lacking the ability to work around a car's particular ups and downs to be a champion.

Nothing wrong with wanting to be paid, but you have to match your pay expectations with results and what is "value added" on your behalf. Paying a driver that has trundled around at the back of the field for five years champion wages, doesn't add up. There are quite a few drivers that exist in motorsport beyond their results and abilities due to being popular with sponsors or manufacturers and if Murphy wants to hang around he's going to have to tap into his popularity in NZ or something and generate revenue to pay that salary.

I'm sure if it's all over he'll be in demand as an enduro driver and a media figure. And that's not a bad career either.

[mac]

Personally, I like Murph...

I sometimes think he carries on a bit - but he always wears his heart on his sleeve, and he is always himself (not some artificial nice guy out of the V8 Supercar cookie-cutter).

He might polarise opinion, but that's a good thing. He's a character - and Lord knows the series needs as many of them as it can get!!!

[Mixer]

So who in the field is driving with a license paid for by their dad? Webb? Doing a kick ass job if you ask me? Slade? Not quite but still deserves his spot.

Tony D? Has certainly showed promise in an aging car.

[GTRMagic]

Originally Posted by Mixer

So who in the field is driving with a license paid for by their dad? Webb? Doing a kick ass job if you ask me? Slade? Not quite but still deserves his spot.

Tony D? Has certainly showed promise in an aging car.

Rick n Todd?

Steve Johnson

[Mixer]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

Rick n Todd? Steve Johnson

Well none of those guys are threatening to push Murph out of a seat.

Jnr in 6th I think justifies his position and if Rick & Todd can continue to generate enough sponsorship then I can't see the problem with them really.

[Kingair]

I'm with mac, I like Murph and the fact that he tells it as he see's.

In today's world everyone has to be soo politically correct etc which tends to make everyone muppet clones.

Had the good fortune to meet Murph at Bathurst a few years back, and he certainly went out of his way to sign everything etc.

Now if just drove for Ford and wasn't a kiwi!!!!

Hang in there Murph.

[eduardo1]

Expect Triple 8 to have a say, or at least an influence, in who gets the drive at PMM.

PMM will become a satellite team of T8 over the next 12-18 months, the relationship even closer than it is now. As an example - when Morris went to renew/renegotiate the Castrol deal, Roland Dane went with him to Castrol.

So that might give Steve Owen a leg-up into the seat given Dane's high opinion of him. Certainly he'd be one of the better options on a performance basis.

But then there's a lot of PR value in getting a Perkins/Ingall/Castrol deal over the line.

[F J Nedos]

Originally Posted by Kingair

In today's world everyone has to be soo politically correct

LOL isnt that a contradiction in terms!

If something is political, there's a damn good chance it aint correct.

[Tony C]

IIRC Murf is driving for PMM. Paul is the SORF from way back....

[cavvy]

Originally Posted by Mixer

Well none of those guys are threatening to push Murph out of a seat.

Jnr in 6th I think justifies his position and if Rick & Todd can continue to generate enough sponsorship then I can't see the problem with them really.

That is a question in itself: if Rick & Todd can continue to generate enough sponsorship then ...

Got too much of the Britek lookalike for me, right down to the barge/krate.

Did Larry walk from Jack or did the Kellys ....

[D.R.T.]

Originally Posted by mac

He might polarise opinion, but that's a good thing. He's a character - and Lord knows the series needs as many of them as it can get!!!

I always saw Murphy as the type of character to make a big call or statement to get noticed or get his name in the paper rather than actually believing what he was saying. Each to their own really.

[bluesport]

Ch7 announced this morning that Murph has quit PMM.

[jason7253]

Murphy back to HRT?

[E36ST]

Here's the press release.

[IMG]mailbox:///C%7C/Data/Thunderbird/Trash?number=39510752&part=1.3&filename=image001.jpg[/IMG]

Media Release
9/11/2010
Greg Murphy to leave Paul Morris Motorsports at the end of 2010

Holden V8 Supercar star Greg Murphy has decided not to take up the second year option in his contract with Paul Morris Motorsports and will leave the team at the conclusion of the 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series.

Murphy made the decision in conjunction with major sponsor Castrol’s decision not to renew its sponsorship of PMM for 2011, which was announced today.

“When [team owner] Paul Morris, Castrol and I announced our partnership at the end of last year we all had great expectations, but for whatever reason things just have not worked out as planned,” Murphy said.

“It certainly has not been for a lack of effort, and for that I can’t thank the PMM team enough.”

Murphy said working closely with Castrol Australia, with whom he won back-to-back Bathurst titles in 2003/04, had been the highlight of his year.

“I was delighted to rekindle my relationship with Castrol this year; we have a wonderful working partnership and representing the company and meeting many of its clients throughout the season was a real highlight,” he said.

Castrol Marketing Director Andrew Johnson praised Murphy for his efforts.

"It had been a few years since we worked closely with Murph but 2010 will be remembered as one of our best in terms of the amount of customer praise we received whenever he was involved in one of our functions. He is a unique personality and someone we hope to work closely with again in the future,” Johnson said.

Murphy said he would now look for other opportunities and was hoping to secure a fulltime drive in the 2011 V8 Supercar Championship.

“I am not retiring, and while my immediate focus is very much on finishing the season strongly and doing the best for Castrol and PMM, I am hopeful that making this announcement will open up other opportunities for me to continue racing V8 Supercars,” Murphy said.

After winning the Sandown 500/Bathurst 1000 double with Craig Lowndes and the Holden Racing Team in 1996, Murphy made his fulltime ATCC/V8SCS debut with HRT the following year.

At the 1997 season opening round at Melbourne’s Calder Park Raceway, Murphy became just the fourth driver in history to score a pole position on debut and just the third to win a championship race win on debut.

He has 12 career poles, including ‘that lap’ at Bathurst in ’03, and 28 championship race wins to his credit, and ranks 10th on the all-time ATCC/V8SCS winner’s list.

Murphy has won Australia’s ‘Great Race’, the Bathurst 1000 four times, 1996, ‘99, 2003, ’04, and is a four-time winner of the annual V8 Supercar event in his native New Zealand (2001, ‘02, ‘03, ‘05).

- ENDS -

For further information contact:
Gerald McDornan
Ph: 0488 901 722
Email: gerald@veracitymedia.com.au

[IMG]mailbox:///C%7C/Data/Thunderbird/Trash?number=39510752&part=1.2&filename=image002.jpg[/IMG]

For hi-resolution, print ready image of Greg Murphy, copyright free for editorial use only, please click on the image above.

[IMG]mailbox:///C%7C/Data/Thunderbird/Trash?number=39510752&part=1.4&filename=image003.gif[/IMG]

ATT RADIO NEWS: click on the above link to download Greg Murphy audio grab.

[STEALTHY]

Originally Posted by bluesport

Ch7 announced this morning that Murph has quit PMM.

V8SC had the story posted yesterday.......Late to the party much

[Just Do It!]

Will Pepsi pick him up? Murph and grafitti art....hmmmm.....