Super Cheap Auto Racing's Greg Murphy has taken race one at the Placemaker's V8 International in New Zealand for the second round of the Australian V8 Supercar Series.
Polesitter Craig Lowndes jumped the start, and although he rectified the matter by stopping again, the former champion left the circuit at turn one after a collision with Marcos Ambrose.
With Ambrose in the lead, spectators feared an uncontested romp to the chequered flag by the defending champion until local hero Greg Murphy saved the day, finding speed far superior to Ambrose's Falcon.
Murphy harassed Ambrose, climbing all over the rear of his V8 Supercar, until he found a way around the Tasmanian, slipping past moments before the pit window opened for tyre changes.
Murphy's in-lap prior to pitting was a blinder. He pulled into the pits ahead of Ambrose, and with a tangible lead over the field. Ambrose decided to stay on the circuit for a time in an effort to claw back vital seconds lost to Murphy. Paul Radisich, Paul Morris and Jason Bright, also pitted late in the race, which turned out to have been the right choice as they rocketed up the leader board to finish in the top ten.
Just as he was about to pit, Ambrose's race was spoiled when he bumped into fellow race contender Steven Richards at turn five. Both drivers lost several positions as a consequence of this mistake. Richards lost four laps to the leaders while repairing his car, while the Devil Racer' recovered from this mishap to finish in fifth position.
With fresh rubber under his Commodore, Murphy rejoined the race where he led Ingall and Skaife, whose pit strategies saw them emerge behind the local favourite. The confident Kiwi was able to hold back the advancements from rival drivers, taking the chequered flag on home soil, while jubilant fans cheered him home.
Murphy will start alongside Russell Ingall on the front row for the first of two sprint races on Sunday, where
Crash.net will continue to bring you all the action from Pukekohe Park, New Zealand.
Race One: Top Ten
1
Greg Murphy Super Cheap Auto Racing
2
Russell Ingall Caltex Havoline Racing
3
Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team
4
Steven Ellery Team Betta Electrical
5
Marcos Ambrose Pirtek Racing
6
Paul Radisich Team Kiwi Racing
7
Jason Bright Ford Performance Racing
8
Todd Kelly Holden Racing Team
9
Paul Morris Sirromet
10
Jamie Whincup Tasman Motorsport
