The Repco Supercars Championship finally arrived on the shores of New Zealand in 2001 following the Mobil Sprints five years earlier and a hometown hero dominated those early title rounds.
Greg Murphy was already a two-time Bathurst 1000 winner and a consistent championship contender welcomed the opportunity to compete for points on home turf at Pukekohe.
It proved a dream scenario at the first round held at the fast circuit for Murphy as he took maximum points by winning all three races, but this didn’t stop Mark Skaife from taking the title.
Murphy in fact was second in the opening race due to pitting a second time because of rain and this elevated Mark Larkham to the lead until the New Zealander passed him moments before the VIP Petfoods Ford Falcon ended up in the barrier.
The officials declared Larkham the winner, but in reality there was a mistake and Murphy was handed the win two hours post-race.
Murphy’s undefeated run occurred in 2002 when Skaife took the opening race, but he bounced back to take the win in the Kmart Commodore in the second, while teammate Todd Kelly completed the Holden sweep of the victories.
Still winning the round, Murphy it proved a struggle after a tyre bundle was dislodged and revealed a bolt, which punctured tyre on the New Zealander’s Commodore leading to fourth. Skaife endured engine dramas and wasn’t a factor.
Returning to his homeland after a successful period including another Bathurst win in 2003, Murphy continued this hot form to win two races and secure a third round win in a row in much more convincing fashion than the year before.
Pukekohe moved to the front half of the year and Murphy’s reign ended due in part to his intense media commitments, plus the Kmart team’s hampered start to the season due to the ownership controversy of the season before.
A change of teams to Paul Weel Racing in 2005 led to a return to the winner’s circle for Murphy.
Finishing so late it was pitch black, Murphy won all three races in what was his final Supercars round victory of his career.
Still a revered name in New Zealand and the inspiration for many of the next generation currently representing the nation on the global stage, Murphy’s home success remains a highlight in Supercars history.