Motorsport: Almost punch-up as Ambrose, Murphy crash out

The cars of Marcos Ambrose and Greg Murphy sit in parc ferme after they were involved in a pile up during the Bathurst 1000. Robert Cianflone / Getty Images

BATHURST, New South Wales - The Bathurst 1000 threatened to boil over into a punch-up today when two-time V8 Supercar series champion Marcos Ambrose had a heated confrontation with New Zealand's defending race champion Greg Murphy.

The two squared off halfway up Mt Panorama after their cars came together on lap 144 while they were running in the top five.

Ambrose stormed towards Murphy swearing and gesturing until both drivers were eye-balling each other.

Each blamed the other for the accident, which is under investigation by race stewards, but it was Murphy who unloaded further on Ambrose, claiming the Ford driver's ego was a problem.

"We were racing for it and I expected he would do a proper job and give me racing room to go around the corner together," Holden driver Murphy said.

"He decided that I should have to give way and that is what happened. He pegged me into the wall and I catapulted him around. Bloody stupid if you ask me.
"I'm pretty angry. The whole thing is just typical and he thinks it is never his fault.

"Marcos, as always, thinks he is in the right and thinks everyone should give way to him and move over and that is not the case. I'm not going to play that.

"He has got an ego problem, we all know about it and it's reared its ugly head again today.

"It just grates me big time. He has got the attitude that everyone should move out of his way.

"I don't want to have to put up with him. He can take what I said and leave, I won't be crying about it."

Ambrose, who is bound for Nascar racing in the United States, refused to get involved in a war of words and said Murphy was at fault and could have avoided the accident.

"Greg made a mistake and I had a huge run at him and he tried to push me wide. I tried to give him room but he fed me a wheel and I was in the barrier," said Ambrose, who now trails Russell Ingall by two points in the championship.

"He had the chance to avoid an accident and he did not.

"It's destroyed our race, destroyed a lot of others too and now it might have destroyed our championship."

Race winner Mark Skaife, who famously gestured in a similar fashion at Russell Ingall at Eastern Creek in 2003, believes the confrontation should not be punished.

"You cannot expect them to walk off and say that is that. This is professional sport and two of the best drivers in Australia's biggest race," Skaife said.

"If there is a drama like that then there is going to be drama afterwards.

"I think that that's the normal human behaviour.

"We cannot make the sport clinical. People at home need to understand how emotive it is."

- AAP