Murphy doing the hard yards for Bathurst return

A determined Greg Murphy says he has been putting in maximum work effort in training for his return to the Bathurst 1000 later this year.

The four-time winner of the Mount Panorama endurance race is teaming up with Supercars returnee Richie Stanaway in an Erebus Motorsport Wildcard entry.

Murphy has not competitively raced a Supercar since the 2014 Gold Coast 600. Several aspects of the category are now significantly different seven years later.

“Lots of things have changed,” Murphy said on his latest Back to Bathurst episode.

“My focus on going racing and that professional side of things has changed a lot, and I have got to start getting my head back around that.”

When news dropped confirming Murphy’s return to Bathurst, mixed opinions spread across fans about whether the Kiwi would be fit enough and competitive enough to race.

Murphy admits that some people likely have more confidence in him than he does, but he remains committed to preparing himself as best he can.

“It might sound easy and it might be like riding a bike,” Murphy said.

“Well, to a point it is, but then to be able to perform and do the job at the level to the guys that are racing Supercars full-time, that level is a bit of a headache for me right now because I think I am a long way away from it.

“A lot of other people out there have a lot more confidence in me than maybe what I do.

“So, it is about the mental side of things, the physical side of things. There is a lot of prep I’ve got to do.”

Murphy has been improving his general fitness ahead of the race, with regular gym sessions and cardio workouts.

He says slogging it out in the weight room also gives him a mental boost.

“[I am] trying to get in the gym two or three times a week. I spend a lot of time on my mountain bike and build the cardio side of things.

“I suppose doing the work makes you mentally prepared as well.

“It is a big part of racing one of these cars not just for a sprint race but for an endurance race. You need to know you have done the hard yards.

“So, it is something that I am focused on doing and I know Richie is as well.”