Greg Murphy, Richie Stanaway to pilot Erebus wildcard at Bathurst

Four-time Bathurst 1000 winner Greg Murphy and Richie Stanaway will both come out of retirement for the Bathurst 1000 later this season after being named as team-mates in a wildcard entry by Erebus Motorsport.

The pair will race the #51 Holden Commodore in the biggest race on the Supercars calendar, with Murphy returning to action for the first time since retiring seven years ago. Stanaway meanwhile elected to hang up his helmet two years ago.

The deal has been made possible thanks to the support of Boost Mobile, with company owner Peter Adderton having a long-standing relationship with Murphy dating back to the 1990s.

“All of a sudden here’s a group of people who are wanting and willing to make this happen,” Murphy said. “I’m very fortunate and lucky to be presented with the opportunity to go back and race at a place that means so much to me.

“Peter played a significant role in how I came to be a full-time professional race car driver and now we are back here doing this together. Barry [Ryan – team CEO] and I have worked together several times and we have a great respect for each other.

“It’s going to be fun to go back and reminisce on some of the stories and memories that we’ve had in the past and I’m looking forward to the journey.”

Stanaway meanwhile also have a pre-existing link to Boost Mobile, which was title sponsor of his programmes with both Tickford Racing and GRM.

“At first I didn’t think Pete was being serious, like a lot of people, but then he reached out to me,” he said. “I’ve had a really good relationship with Boost, it’s been great to have a sponsor that’s supported me and believed in me.

“I’m really grateful for their support and I’m glad we’re going ahead with it because I’m really looking forward to it. Murph has always been a big inspiration of mine and driving with Murph is one of the big reasons why I want to come back. It’s cool to have someone of his calibre back in the car at the biggest race of the year.”

The deal came about having originally been suggested by Adderton earlier in the year, and he insisted that the reaction to the idea had been a major factor in it becoming reality.

“Originally the idea was a bit tongue-in-cheek, but the fan reaction has been incredible, so I wanted to make this team happen for them,” he said. “I got on the phone to Greg and Richie and although they initially weren’t interested, it didn’t take too long for them to see what we were trying to do and for them to change their minds.

“We have an incredible relationship with the team at Erebus and Barry understands better than most that the entertainment and fans are key to Supercars’ success.”