Supercars legend Greg Murphy is the latest big name to confirm a place in Monochrome GT4 Australia, with the decorated racer locked in for a co-drive with Grant Aitken at the opening round of the NextGen NZ Championship at Hampton Downs.
It adds further star power to the growing list of name drivers and categories competing at the Hampton Downs International this October 31–November 2.
Behind the wheel of an Audi R8 LMS GT4, the pair will run in the Silver-Am class for the Monochrome GT4 Australia season finale, with Aitken set to be the oldest driver in the field.
“Having invited Greg to join me in the Audi for the series, I am immensely flattered that he has agreed,” said Aitken.
“I am finding the one-hour races pretty tough nowadays, so to have Greg share the drive with me is fantastic. Besides, we race with the same philosophy, looking after the equipment and being there at the end.”
Aitken’s time in the sport spans more than 50 years, having raced a Datsun 1200 SSS in the 1974 Benson & Hedges 500 Mile Race before competing in the NZ Saloon Car Championship during the 1970s and 1980s where he was a regular race winner.
The veteran has also raced in the NZ Touring Car Championship and NZ Production Car Championship for many years, where he continued to enjoy a mix of podiums and race wins, leading to multiple titles, while also plying his trade on gravel in rallies – his biggest results being two Rally of Asia victories and a runner-up finish to Peter “Possum” Bourne in the 1983 Rally of New Zealand.
More recently, Aitken has run in the Toyota 86 Championship, Highlands Sprint Series and the NZ Endurance Racing Championship, and his most recent experience came in 2023 when he raced in the GT New Zealand Championship, finishing third in the GT4 class for the year.
Aitken’s contributions to New Zealand motorsport go far beyond his exploits behind the wheel, including creating and running the famous Race to the Sky event between 1998 and 2007.
Murphy needs very little introduction for Australian and New Zealand race fans, with the popular figure best known for his time in the Australian Touring Car Championship/Supercars between 1996 and 2015.
Having raced at the top level of Australian motorsport for almost two decades, Murphy amassed numerous accolades, including four Bathurst 1000 wins and multiple race wins.
Murphy enjoyed plenty of silverware outside of Supercars over the years, including back-to-back New Zealand Gold Stars between 1993 and 1994, a second place in the 1994 Australian Drivers Championship, a runner-up finish in the 1996 24 Hour Le Mans GT2 class, victory in the 2003 Bathurst 24 Hour, and two New Zealand V8 SuperTourer titles in 2013 and 2014.
In more recent times, Murphy has had stints in a GT car, racing an Aston Martin Vantage GT3 in Australia during 2016, and a Renault Sport R.S. 01 in the North Island Endurance Series – as well as racing in the Formula Atlantic showcase at the Taupo Historic GP in January.
“I’m looking forward to it, racing with Grant, who is a mate, will be fun, and the idea is to go out there and enjoy it,” Murphy said.
“Just having this style of International motorsport coming to New Zealand is a big thing, it’s really positive and hopefully flows on to the sport here in the longer term.
“I’ve driven a few GT4 cars over the journey and they’re good things. The series has been very strong this year; it looks great. There are good battles everywhere you look, and the depth of the field is great.
“I love the International Circuit at Hampton Downs, so that just adds to it all; it’s a fantastic circuit and really enjoyable to drive. Hopefully it’s an enjoyable weekend with a good field and some laughs, and we can have a bit of a crack at the same time.”
Murphy and Aitken will make their series debut as part of the Monochrome GT4 Australia season finale at Hampton Downs on 31 October–2 November.
Tickets are on sale now for the Hampton Downs International, the opening round of the NextGen NZ Championship.
With a full program that includes Monochrome GT4 Australia, the GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS, GT New Zealand, Bridgestone GR86 Championship, TA2NZ Championship, NAPA Central Muscle Cars and the Porsche Racing Series NZ, the event promises a massive weekend of motorsport.
Tickets can be purchased online via links at the official series website, www.nextgennz.co.nz.
Header Image: Supplied
