KEY POINTS:
The contrast between veteran Hawke's Bay driver Greg Murphy and Auckland teenager Shane Van Gisbergen could not be greater as both drivers tackle this weekend's Bathurst 1000 endurance classic.
Murphy, 36, has won Bathurst four times, the last coming in 2004 and remains the fastest driver on the fabled Mount Panorama circuit with a dizzying time of two minutes 06.8594 set during qualifying in 2003.
But since 2004, Murphy has been plagued by bad luck and poor cars and says there is no real form behind the team this year.
Van Gisbergen, 19, made his Bathurst debut last year with Team Kiwi Racing but is this year in a competitive Ford run by Queensland-based New Zealand team, Stone Brothers Racing.
Murphy says his Sprint Gas team had done a lot of work preparing the car he will drive with Nelson's Jason Richards.
But one of the issues was that the team did not carry a lot of momentum into the year's biggest race.
" We very excited about it and confident we can get a result," said Murphy who finished fourth last year with Richards to be the best-placed Holden drivers at Bathurst.
Currently, after nine rounds of the V8 Supercar series, Murphy is 19th in the standings and Richards 18th.
"We are not writing ourselves off although a few may have.
"But with the competition out there, you need a car that's very fast, one you can push and lay down some consistent fast laps - we haven't got results to suggest we are a form team."
Van Gisbergen, however, was bubbling with enthusiasm after the team tested well last Monday.
" This year, I feel a whole lot more prepared about it and can focus on the car rather than learning the track.
"I know how the race works and how to approach it - you cannot try to win it in the first 10 laps, you have to try and stay in the top bunch and the race only really starts in the last 30 laps."
Van Gisbergen, who will team up with Australian Jonathon Webb, felt that with the New Zealand drivers spread out in some well-prepared teams, there would a battle within a battle which could spur one of them to a podium finish.
Murphy agreed, indicating one front runner could be former world touring cars champion Paul Radisich, who is coming off a win in last weekend's opening round of the New Zealand V8 series.
Radisich, driving for the HSV Dealer team will have 2006 Bathurst winner Rick Kelly as his partner.
Other leading New Zealanders in the running are Fabian Coulthard, former A1GP Team New Zealand driver Matt Halliday and former New Zealand V8 champion Kayne Scott.
Van Gisbergen said the combinations of Radisich and Kelly, Murphy and Richards looked strong while Coulthard was driving well.
"It'll be a battle within a battle among the Kiwis with everyone trying to be the top New Zealander - it could result in a podium finish for one of us if not top the race."
Meanwhile, Murphy has challenged his rivals to beat his 2003 time at Mt Panorama.
"Records are made to be broken, I'm under no illusions there," he said,
"The track was fast in 2003, having just been re-surfaced, but I am actually surprised that my lap time has not been broken already.
"With the money being spent down pit-lane, I would expect my record to be beaten," Murphy said.
"There's a lot of talk that it can be beaten, but actions speak louder than words."
Practice for the race will be tomorrow with qualifying on Friday.
The top 10 shootout for prime grid positions is on Saturday. The 161-lap race is on Sunday.
- NZPA
