Murphy and Castrol to leave PMM

Greg Murphy will leave Paul Morris Motorsports at the end of the year, as will title sponsor Castrol, after a troubled year for the New Zealander.

Murphy, who moved to PMM from Tasman Motorsports, who closed their doors at the end of 2009, has confirmed he will leaving the team after the final round at Sydney Olympic Park.

“When 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,” said Murphy.

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

“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.”

Castrol Australia has also confirmed they are scaling back their support from next season, and will no longer be the naming rights sponsor of PMM’s second car in 2011.

“It was not an easy decision as the entire team, especially Greg Murphy, have been extremely easy to work with and generous with their time with our customers,” said Castrol Marketing Director Andrew Johnson.

Castrol will continue to sponsor a number of teams in 2011 including PMM, but in a reduced capacity.