The most anticipated V8 Supercar comeback in years is officially on, with five-time champion Mark Skaife back for Bathurst.
Skaife has confirmed he will partner New Zealand driver Greg Murphy in a Holden for the Bathurst 1000 in October.
He will return to the racetrack for the first time since his retirement last year in September’s Phillip Island 500km race—the endurance lead-up to Bathurst.
Skaife has been quietly testing Murphy’s Sprint Gas Racing Commodore at several V8 rounds this year, getting a feel for the car.
But he made his plans official at a test day at Winton Raceway in north-eastern Victoria on Monday, where he got behind the wheel of Murphy’s car again. Stuff.co.nz
“From my point of view pairing up with Murph is ideal because we both know exactly what is required on the day,” Skaife said.
“No-one gets around the mountain better than Murph when he’s dialled in - four wins and a long-standing lap record are testament to that.”
“Sprint Gas Racing is a strong outfit with some good strategic operators like Jeff Grech and Mike Henry calling the shots.”
“Last year Sprint Gas went excellently at Bathurst to run a close second, I reckon this year the team has the potential to go one better.”
The duo have had there fair share of success at Mount Panorama with nine wins between them and a win would emulate the multi-race winning heroics of past pairings such as Peter Brock and Allan Moffat in 1986 (10), Skaife and Jim Richards in 2002 (11) and Brock and Richards in 1988 (12) at the top of the list.
“It’s exciting for the team and the sponsors to have Mark Skaife join us,” Murphy said. V8 Supercars
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