Greg Murphy’s son Cormac Murphy. Image: Bruce Jenkins
Murphy has switched teams this season from Race Lab Academy to Syndicate Motorsport.
The one-make series is New Zealand’s equivalent of ther Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia GR Cup, which features identical Toyota GR 86 coupes.
The Bridgestone GR86 Championship begins at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park on October 31-November 2 as part of the NextGen NZ Championship.
“For this season, I have focussed on improving my mindset and mentality going into the weekends,” Murphy said.
“I feel there was still a good amount of room for improvement in some of my decision-making throughout last season. If I focus on this aspect, I believe the results I’m after will come.
“I learnt a lot in my first season of 86 racing in the TR86. It gave me a lot of confidence coming into last season, but obviously the TR and GR cars are quite different in terms of the way they handle and feel, and I struggled last season with car setup and my overall speed.
“So far from how testing has gone with Syndicate, coming into this season, I feel like we will be able to have plenty of speed and be consistent with it.”
The GR86 Championship begins its season with back-to-back rounds at Hampton Downs, the second as part of the Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy.
Cormac Murphy in the #81 at Highlands during the 2024/2025 GR86 Championship. Image: Bruce Jenkins
The one-make series will also race at Taupo, Teretonga, Highlands, and Manfeild.
Murphy is optimistic he can be a contender in his second season .
“The competitiveness and how hard it is to be competitive in this series, is what makes me keep wanting to come back,” he explained.
“The margins are so unbelievably tight, and with this series being considered the premier tin-top class in New Zealand, the talent of all the other drivers is also some of the best NZ has to offer.
“From my experience to be competitive in this series, you have to drive to your and the car’s absolute limit every single lap.
“However, with everything being so close, even being the fastest driver might not be enough so also having the right setup in the car for each track, is going to be crucial.
“I’m usually quite reserved about prospects for the season as it puts unnecessary stress on everyone but I’m feeling better than ever and I feel my team and I have ticked all the boxes for what’s needed to challenge for the title.”
2025/2026 Repco NextGen NZ Championship Calendar
Round 1 – Hampton Downs Motorsport Park – October 31-November 2
Round 2 – Hampton Downs Motorsport Park – January 9-11
Round 3 – Taupo International Motorsport Park – January 16-18
Round 4 – Teretonga Park – January 23-25
Round 5 – Highlands Motorsport Park – January 30-February 1
Round 6 – Manfeild Circuit Chris Amon – February 27-March 1