Boost Mobile are prepared to charter a plane to get Greg Murphy and Richie Stanaway to Australia in time for the Bathurst 1000.
The pair are set to join the Supercars grid as a wildcard for Erebus Motorsport at this year’s Great Race, although there have been questions around the entry with Covid-19 outbreaks in Australia and New Zealand.
The pandemic has seen the travel bubble between the two countries closed, and with both drivers based in New Zealand, it complicates travel plans as the pair would be required to complete two weeks quarantine on entry to both countries.
The ongoing outbreaks have already hindered the teams planned testing.
With no sign the travel bubble will re-open soon the team and their sponsor Boost Mobile has started looking at the options available to them, having already admitted in August that they didn’t expect to be granted a travel exemption.
Boost founder Peter Adderton recently confirmed to Motorsport.com that he is looking at using a charter flight to get Murphy and Stanaway to and from the Bathurst 1000, a plan that would cost around AU$65,000.
However, the plan isn’t foolproof with the return to New Zealand still a potential issue, given the high demand and limited availability of quarantine spots.
The Government recently opened an online ballot system for returnee’s to secure quarantine spots, with almost 30,000 people vying for 3,000 rooms.
With both drivers having been out of a Supercar for a number of years, Murphy since 2014 and Stanaway since 2019, getting in a test day before the event is critical for the team, something that this plan could allow for.
Main image:Mark Horsburgh