Greg Murphy is looking likely to retain his ride in the #11 Kelly Racing entry in next year’s V8 Supercars Championship.
The 38-year-old has enjoyed an upturn in form this year after a number of disappointing seasons.
With three top 10 results so far this year, Kelly Racing’s heavyweights have told Speedcafe.com that Murphy is in the box seat to remain with the third-year V8 team, pending its upcoming commercial deals.
“I hope that’s the case, and I don’t think there’s any reason why it wouldn’t be different,” Murphy told Speedcafe.com.
“I’m really keen to stay, and I love working with these guys (Kelly Racing). I feel a real part of the program. I’m very comfortable.
“I want to be here long-term. I want to continue on, that’s the goal, and I have to do my part to make those decisions a lot easier for people.”
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If Murphy is to stay at KR in 2012, it takes one potential seat away from a busy ‘Silly Season’ that is set to include big announcements from Toll Holden Racing Team star Garth Tander and fast young gun Lee Holdsworth.
Kelly Racing’s commercial manager Nick Ryan said that the team’s driver line-up is likely to remain unchanged next year – if the right deals are put in place.
“Certainly there’s some things to be finalised involving a range of things for next year, but in a perfect world, we’ll remain status quo,” Ryan told Speedcafe.com.
“We’ve had a fantastic start to the year with Murph, and we’ve enjoyed the relationship. He’s working well with the team and everyone’s working well together, but there is still a lot of work to be done on the commercial front before we come to a final assessment.”
Murphy added that he has enjoyed the first half of the season with new-to-V8s sponsor Pepsi Max.
“Originally, Pepsi was looking at another driver and different demographic, but I think where it has ended, it’s all gone very well and there are some positives noises for the future,” the four-time Bathurst winner said.
“I’m really enjoying working with Pepsi. They are very easy company to work with and what they’ve done with the whole program has been fantastic. You couldn’t have asked for any more from them, so I’m hoping that they see 2012 unchanged.”
Murphy finished 12th in yesterday’s race at Hidden Valley. CLICK HERE for a race report and results from the event.
See below for Speedcafe.com’s Hidden Valley Race Guide
