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Murphy/Stanaway Bathurst 1000 wildcard revived

Four-time Bathurst 1000 winner Murphy and former Supercars racer Stanaway were set to team up in an Erebus Motorsport-run one-off entry last year.

However the Boost Mobile-funded project was harpooned by New Zealand's COVID-19 border controls which prevented the two Kiwis from getting to Australia.

It's now been confirmed that the wildcard will instead happen this year, with a three-day testing plan ahead of Bathurst already in place.

The first of the three tests will take place at Winton on June 7 followed by subsequent outings on August 16 and September 27.

“I don’t think I can put into words how important these test days will be for Richie and I, they’re so critical for us,” Murphy said.

“Parts of the puzzle have been underway for a while and now with COVID sort of out of the way, we can absolutely be set on some goals and plans which will make a big difference.

“A lack of testing was the biggest thing for me last year that really had me questioning whether we were going to be able to do the event and do it justice.

“For me, this initial test day is really just about finding my feet again and getting some of the basics back into my brain, going away and thinking about it to prepare myself for the next test.

“I’d love to be able to turn up and be really comfortable straight away and feel really positive moving forward but I’m also trying to be realistic.”

Stanaway agreed that the tests will be critical as he prepares for his first Supercars race since walking away from the sport at the end of 2019.

“Being two drivers who have been out of the car for a while, Murph and I are definitely going to utilise all three of our test days to make sure we’re as prepared as we can be,” Stanaway said.

“Going to Bathurst is tough at the best of times, even when racing full-time, so we’ll be focusing pretty hard on those test days to extract everything we can.

“For the first test day, it’s really going to be about getting comfortable in the car and getting to know the team.

“It’s always very important when you work with a new team to get to know everyone and figure out how everything works as every team does things slightly differently.

“Getting all of those teething problems out of the way means by the time we get to the second and the third day, we can hit the ground running with some more advanced work.

“Having the additional preparation time after last year’s delay has given me more time to train and I’ve also spent more time on my simulator to get the feel back.”

Boost founder Peter Adderton, who initially came up with the idea for the Murphy/Stanaway entry, added that it's exciting to see it finally coming to fruition.

“The story is not over for Richie and Murph to take on the Mountain and it’s something you don’t want to miss," he said.

“Last year we jumped over every hurdle thrown at us and although in the end border restrictions made it impossible for 2021, the whole team at Erebus, Boost and the drivers were committed to making it work in 2022.

“The benefit of this year will be that Murph and Richie will have three test days prior to the big race which will allow them to fine-tune their skills and the set-up with the team.

“This idea came to fruition because of the fans so we encourage everyone to come on the journey with us and celebrate Murph and Richie back at the Mountain.”

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