Loyal fans have Murphy’s number
11/1/2005 16:51 (Press Release) -
The affection held by fans of Holden star Greg Murphy for his trademark racing car number, 51, has been the catalyst for a swap of racing numbers between the PWR Racing and Kmart Racing teams.
PWR Racing has taken Kmart’s #51 to match its existing #50 for 2005, while Kmart Racing accepts #16 from PWR to bookend car #15.
Murphy has become synonymous with the #51, winning one of his four Bathurst 1000 titles and twice finishing runner-up in the championship standings (2002-03) while wearing the iconic number.
He finished 4th in the 2004 championship with the Kmart team, and will carry #51 with him when he joins PWR for 2005. His PWR teammate, Paul Weel, will adopt the vacant #50 used in 2004 by Jason Bright.
Meanwhile, at Kmart Racing, two-time Bathurst winner Rick Kelly retains the #15 he has raced for the past two seasons while Garth Tander – recruited from Garry Rogers Motorsport – makes a fresh start with Weel’s former #16.
Murphy said he hadn’t given too much thought to retaining his number until many of his fans asked the question of him. “I’ve had a few successful years with #51, but it was the fans that really responded and said they wanted me to keep the number,” he said.
“It’s nice to see that fans can be so passionate – they certainly like their traditions and I’m more than happy to keep #51 to make them happy. John Kelly (Kmart Racing owner) was fantastic about it, and it made sense for both teams to put their numbers in sequence.”
Release Date: 15/12/2004
Holden Motorsport
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