Greg Murphy's 'Grumpy Old Men' move no joke

Greg Murphy

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Those joking New Zealand driver Greg Murphy's arrival at Paul Morris Motorsport is part of a team strategy to get more seniors' parking places be warned.

Murphy, who has teamed with fellow veteran Russell Ingall for this season, believes the move will take him back to the pointy end of the V8 Supercar grid.

Murphy, 37, was left without a drive after his former operation Tasman Motorsport shut their doors at the end of last season.

And he bristles at the suggestion a team some on the grid have jokingly labelled the "grumpy old men" won't be competitive simply because of their ages.

"I'd like to make sure the term 'veteran' is only a symbolisation of our ages, nothing more," Murphy said.

"I need to get back on the winning horse, get some results going on. I don't do this to make up the numbers.

"I know what the feeling's to win and we haven't done that in a while, and that's frustrating. Winning's what I'm there to do."

The New Zealander hasn't finished in the championship top 10 since 2004 - the same year he won the last of his four Bathurst titles.

Yet there is a collective confidence that alongside the combative Ingall, the two most outspoken men on the grid can drive each other to great heights.

Murphy will debut a new Holden at this weekend's Clipsal 500 in Adelaide.

The car is built by Triple Eight Racing - championship benchmark Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes' team.

"We know it works because it's been proven by a couple of other blokes (Whincup and Lowndes) who are running up the front in it," Murphy said.

"So there's not too many excuses we can make. We've just got to get it up the front."

- AAP