Getting Grounded With Greg Murphy
Greg Murphy is one of the most approachable motorsport superstars. The four-time Bathurst winner is a similar age to me; I saw him at the Nissan Mobil 500 Wellington street race back in the 90s. That was before he became famous, but even when he was on the podium, he had his feet firmly planted on the ground.
Interview by Tim Warren
Photos Courtesy of VW and Greg Murphy
He highlights that racing was different when he started; it didn’t require as much money. A driver for the former General Motors sub-brand Holden his entire career, Greg said it was a shock when the brand closed because it had been a huge part of his life.
Interviewing Greg is the easiest thing, it’s like leaning across the fence and chatting to your neighbour. Maybe that’s why he’s a fan favourite. I spoke with Greg shortly after we both returned from the Melbourne Grand Prix. I have edited his words for clarity.
Do your kids get on track at all?
My boys have done some racing. Ronan did a reasonable amount. He raced in the United States, though his time there was hampered by COVID. So that was far from perfect, and then he spent a year in Australia. Subsequently, he has seen the light and now has a proper job in Christchurch; my younger son’s done a little bit too. Fingers crossed, he’s seen the light as well.
It’s such a challenging sport financially. Liam Lawson managed by showcasing his talent, even though his family didn’t have the money. The odd person does manage to be recognised and supported based on talent alone. But for the majority, you’ve got to have family wealth.
The 90s were cheaper. I won a Formula Ford scholarship in 1990, and things were very different back in those days. We were doing it for fun; I never considered it a career even when I started racing.
My first-ever race was the Nissan Mobil 500 in Wellington. It was absolutely terrifying! I raced a Sierra Cosworth, the “Peanut Slab,” with Kane Scott. That touring car drive was pretty amazing. I drove the Cosworth again in the last few years and I thought, “How the hell did we used to drive this for 500 kilometres? It was insane.”
So it’s been a journey, but it’s changed so much and now motorsport is very popular. There’s a huge amount of resources from people who want their kids to be racing drivers because it’s a “cool” thing now.
I only ever went karting for fun. There were never any goals; I never even envisaged it could be a career until 1994. Events played out and then it became a possibility; things escalated from there. It’s a matter of maximizing opportunities. My timing was very good when I went to Australia.
Craig Lowndes and I were effectively guinea pigs to “give some youth a go” with the Holden Racing Team. Back then, we were up against Peter Brock, Dick Johnson, and John Bowe.
They were big names that were very well established. There was no stepping-stone formula like there is today.
So you’re an amateur for a few years and then you find yourself at Bathurst, right?
Effectively. I mean, in ’94 when I first went there, I was a nobody. I was literally scraping together dollars to exist, and then I was given a couple of opportunities and ran with them. That’s what happened to me, and then I was given a shot with the Holden Racing Team.
In ’94, I raced a 2-litre Toyota; my first race at Bathurst, a great way to start. In ’95, I never got to drive the Commodore because the engine expired before I could. So the first time I actually drove a Group A car at Bathurst, I won it with Craig Lowndes!
I know you are not racing full-time now. What are you driving and what else are you doing these days?
Yeah, I don’t do any racing; the driving I do these days is purely for fun. If I have to put a lot of effort into preparing, it’s not fun. So now I drive an Amarok; I’ve got to have a ute. I just have to because of my lifestyle; I need a vehicle that can tow. I’ve often got a trailer on the back moving race cars, kids’ race cars, or motorbikes; currently, I’ve got the KTM 890 Adventure bike on there. And then for the mountain bike stuff, you just throw them over the tailgate and off you go. The new generation Amarok is not like driving a ute most of the time; it is just so comfortable. I don’t maximize its capabilities; it’s more just transport, to be fair. Off-roading would be something I’d like to do more of, but it just doesn’t happen—trying to fit it in with everything else. I spend a lot of time on the road. This car is less than 12 months old and it’s done well over 30,000 km. So when you’re spending that much time in a vehicle, you want to have something comfortable. It’s more like a luxury SUV.
I hear you’re doing a lot of mountain biking…
I’ve always loved adrenaline. I’ve done six or seven skydives and flying—I love anything that’s got a bit of fun. I love riding dirt bikes, motorbikes, adventure bikes, and I love mountain biking. I need fitness, but it’s the buzz; I love the thrill and the technical side of it. Again, it’s another one of those things that I don’t do anywhere near as much as I’d like.
I’m more cross-country. I’m not the “point the thing downhill and go out of control” kind, but I do like to ride faster than I should. These days I’m on e-bikes as well, which makes up for a lack of fitness and allows me to ride a lot more in a day or session than I could otherwise.
I’m based in Hawke’s Bay, so I’ve got lots of places a short drive from my house. I love Rotorua; every mountain biker in the world loves it for the joy and everything else. I spend time in Taupo; there are some good trails there. And then when you get down south, there’s just so much opportunity. It’s just epic, absolutely epic.
I got a brand new Specialized bike for Christmas, a Levo 4. I like the tech as well; I think they’re pretty cool bits of kit, it blows me away. It’s awesome to have a toy like that and be able to use it in these places that we’ve got in New Zealand—we are pretty privileged.
I used to ride with my son, but he’s moved out of town. This afternoon I’ll go by myself, just to get some pedal strokes in and the heart rate up. I’ve got a bunch of mates I ride with at least once a year. And I’ve got another couple of mates here that have also got bikes; we ride, not as frequently as we’d like, but there’s no shortage of people.
I was mountain biking when I was living in Australia, but I was in Melbourne and it was quite restrictive to find good quality trails. I came home in summer and had a bike in New Zealand, so I’d go riding and it would almost be my prep for the season starting. I would spend as much time on my bike as possible, working around family, of course.
We could talk for hours, but I did not want to stop Greg from getting back out there on his mountain bike. It’s funny; for one of the most successful racing drivers, not only is he humble, but he talks more about fun, love, joy, and passion than he does about cars. Those emotions drove him, and success ensued.