Murphy and Skaife Set For Bathurst

“I had a great time at the Island and it proved there’s no reason why we can’t do the job at Bathurst,” Mark Skaife said.

“The Sprint Gas outfit is a nicely balanced team with a good mix of youth and experience who are all eager to perform well.

“Fifty laps at Phillip Island without any sore spots has shown that my fitness levels are up to speed for enduros thanks to an Australian Institute of Sport training course I’ve undertaken this year.

“Although Murph and I qualified mid-pack, the car speed effectively put us in the back half of the top ten, so this bodes well for Bathurst where it’s a different track and we’ll be looking for different results.

“Last year the Murphmobile demonstrated impressive car speed around the mountain and no one warms to the place the way he does. Also we both got on fine at the Island sharing similar views on car setup and are looking to more of the same at Mount Panorama.”

Murphy, while quietly confident, is hoping that the car will be as good at Bathurst this year as it was in 2008.

“We’ll know how well we can go after the first practice session,” Greg Murphy said.

“Everything fell into place at Bathurst last year - the car felt good and it was fast.

“We’re certainly hoping it will be the same again next weekend.

“We’ve also got the Skaife factor. He was very quick at Phillip island. Now he has his eye in I’m sure he’ll be even faster next week.”

Skaife will again combine driving with his commentary role with Channel 7.

“Interestingly, the dual roles of racing driver and TV commentator at Phillip Island were never a problem,” Skaife said.

“With Seven again prepared to prioritise my race commitments the same will happen at Bathurst.”

The great race, the Super Cheap Auto Bathurst 1000, starts at 10.30am (Australian Eastern Daylight Savings Time) on Sunday, October 11.

Source: www.sprintgasracing.com