Tony Bates has finished as the best of the Greg Murphy Racing Fujitsu V8 Supercar drivers in Race 1, Round 4 of the series at Queensland Raceway today.

Despite qualifying back in 19^th position, Bates capitalised on some carnage in the race to improve to a career-best seventh place in his SportsAlive.com / Alternative Freight Services VE Commodore. Bates also set the fourth-fastest lap of the race.

“I was actually in sixth for most of the race,” a delighted Bates said. “There was some oil at Turn 2 and Rodney Jane was able to overtake me on the last lap, but I’m stoked with seventh.

“Qualifying was close and even though I was back in 19^th, I was only a few tenths of a second away from being in the top-10.”

Bates will start tomorrow’s top-10 reverse-grid Race 2 from fourth position.

Next best of the GMR entries was James Brock in the Tricor / Drillpro / Olympus entry, moving from 24^th on the grid up to 12^th at the finish with a consistent and intelligent performance.

Unfortunately, the other two entries of Geoff Emery (AC Delco / Simworx / National Directory Distribution) and Daniel Jilesen (R & J Batteries / Earthex / King Gee) failed to finish after being involved in separate incidents on the opening lap.

Emery spun at Turn 1 after contact with another competitor, and was collected by several other cars. His VE Commodore sustained heavy damage, creating a heavy workload for the team to repair the car for tomorrow’s two races.

Jilesen’s race ended a couple of corners further up the road when he sustained differential damage from a rear-end impact.

“I made a good start and moved from sixth up to fifth,” Jilesen explained. “At Turn 3, Jack Perkins went for a dive down the inside and he missed me, but he hit Nick Percat and both Perkins and Percat spun right in front of me, and then Paul Morris hit me from behind.

“The impact bent the differential, which put me out of the race. It was a shame to have my first DNF for the year, but tomorrow there should be some good racing with a lot of fast cars coming through from the back of the field.

Click here for the full results from qualifying.

Click here for the full results from Race 1.

Races 2 and 3 will be held tomorrow, with Race 3 to be shown live on 7Mate.

Greg Murphy Racing’s four Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series drivers head to Queensland Raceway for Round 4 of the series this weekend, and are ready to upset some of the local teams who use the Willowbank venue as their test facility.

The circuit, affectionately known as “the Paperclip”, is one of the less technical tracks on the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series calendar, with a total of six corners and limited undulations. Despite the simplistic layout, the generous runoff areas and well-defined braking zones provide plenty of overtaking opportunities, and Queensland Raceway is renowned for producing entertaining racing.

The entertainment value will be enhanced by the race format this weekend, which will again include a top-10 grid inversion in the second race.

Leading the GMR charge will be Daniel Jilesen, who will look to consolidate his top-5 series position in the R & J Batteries / Earthex / KingGee VE Commodore. Jilesen is coming off his personal best qualifying performance (fourth) and race result (third in Race 2) in the previous round of the series at Townsville.

Geoff Emery (AC Delco / Simworx / National Directory Distribution VE Commodore) will be aiming to bounce back from a tough weekend at Townsville. The five-time Commodore Cup champion was an innocent victim in a collision in the weekend’s opening race, and struggled to recover on a circuit with scant passing opportunities.

James Brock lines up for his second race weekend with GMR, driving his Tricor / Drillpro / Olympus-sponsored entry, and will be looking to hone his V8 Supercar driving technique after a consistent and conservative weekend at Townsville.

Greg Murphy Racing’s Fujitsu Series attack is completed by Tony Bates (SportsAlive/ AFS Commodore), who is focused on improving his qualifying form after some stunning race performances at Townsville. Bates battled with some far more experienced drivers in Race 3 of the Townsville round, but needs to overcome the qualifying hurdle to be a chance of regular top-10 race finishes.

Two Fujitsu Series practice sessions will be held on Friday (August 19). Qualifying and Race 1 are scheduled for Saturday (August 20), with Races 2 and 3 on Sunday (August 21).

Race 1 will be shown LIVE on Channel 7 while Race 3 will be shown LIVE on 7Mate (Check your local guides).

Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series – Top 10 Pointscore (after Round 3 of 7)

1. Andrew Thompson – 791

2. Jack Perkins – 677

3. David Russell – 675

4. Scott McLaughlin – 636

5. Daniel Jilesen – 603

6. Tim Blanchard – 571

7. Nick Percat – 556

8. Chaz Mostert – 525

9. Rodney Jane – 486

10. Robert Cregan – 390

(16. Geoff Emery – 259)

(22. Tony Bates – 216)

(30. James Brock – 102)

Daniel Jilesen has continued his impressive 2011 form in Round 3 of the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series at Townsville on the weekend, finishing the round in sixth place overall. After finishing eighth in the weekend’s opening race, the talented New Zealand driver started third in Race 2, which featured a top-10 reverse-grid format.

Jilesen made an excellent start, working his way up to second position behind Tim Blanchard on the opening lap. He ran second for the first 10 laps of the race, before being overtaken by Jack Perkins on Lap 11, but he still finished the race in a highly commendable third position.

The combination of results from the first two races placed Jilesen seventh on the grid for the weekend’s third and final race. In the early stages of the race, he fell to ninth, but was able to overtake Tim Blanchard and Marcus Zukanovic to move back up to seventh position by the end of the race. Jilesen’s results allowed him to maintain fifth position on the series points table.

Greg Murphy Racing Managing Director Kevin Murphy was impressed by Jilesen’s efforts throughout the weekend.

“Overall, Daniel raced very fairly in the R & J Batteries / Earthex VE Commodore,” Murphy said. “Over the course of the weekend, he impressed a lot of people with his sensible, intelligent and professional approach to the racing, and we’re very happy with his performance.

“In Race 2, he didn’t quite have the pace or the tyre condition to fight with Jack Perkins, but third position was still his best race result in the Fujitsu Series. At the end of Race 3, there were no marks on the car, which is very pleasing for the team given the high risk of damage at a street circuit like Townsville.”

Tony Bates finished 15^th for the weekend, after a mixture of results in Races 2 and 3. In Race 2, the SportsAlive.com Commodore driver finished 20^th after being turned around by another competitor mid-race. The other competitor was penalised, but it was little consolation for Bates, who had been making solid progress through the field.

Race 3 produced a much better outcome for Bates, who battled with the likes of Scott McLaughlin and Andrew Jones as he worked his way up to an eventual finish of 14^th.

“The third race of the weekend was one of Tony’s best-ever races in the Fujitsu Series,” Kevin Murphy said. “He battled with some much more experienced drivers, and was faster than them for much of the race.

“Tony was actually faster in Race 3 than he was in qualifying, which shows that he really made some good gains as the weekend progressed.”

James Brock made his debut for Greg Murphy Racing in the Townsville event, driving the Tricor / Drillpro-sponsored VE Commodore previously campaigned by Jason Richards in Adelaide. Brock’s weekend started well with a 14^th-place finish in Race 1, but incidents in the other two races interrupted his forward progress. He finished 23^rd in Race 2 and 20^th in Race 3, placing him 16^th for the weekend. Despite the setbacks, Brock enjoyed his return to V8 Supercar racing.

“James was happy to be back in a race-car in Townsville and everyone in the team enjoyed working with him,” Murphy said. “While it was unfortunate that he was caught up in some incidents in the last two races, he brought the car home in one piece. There are still a lot of gains to be made from both James and the car, and the next round of the series at Queensland Raceway will provide James with a lower-risk environment to fine-tune his driving technique, as well as car setup.”

After his non-finish in Race 1, Geoff Emery battled hard to move his way back up through the field. He climbed to 18^th in Race 2, and ran as high as 15^th in Race 3 before making an error and spinning out of contention on Lap 9 of the 18-lap race. He recovered to again finish in 18^th position, and 24^th for the round.

Despite the setbacks, Emery’s overtaking manoeuvres generated some extensive coverage for his sponsors, AC Delco, Simworx and National Directory Distribution.

“Geoff raced well and it was a shame that he had the non-finish in Race 1, because that left him well down the points,” Kevin Murphy explained.

“Overall though, it was a satisfying weekend for the team. The weather at Townsville was good as always, and our cars did not sustain too much damage.

“Townsville is also the type of event which provides excellent exposure and hospitality for our team sponsors and supporters. I am happy that a number of our sponsors were present over the weekend and that we were able to put on a good show.”

The next round of the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series is at Queensland Raceway, August 19-21.

Round Results Summary, Fujitsu Series Round 3, Townsville

Qualifying: Jilesen 4^th, Emery 12^th, Brock 21^st, Bates 22^nd

Race 1: Jilesen 8^th, Brock 14^th, Bates 20^th, Emery DNF

Race 2: Jilesen 3^rd, Emery 18^th, Bates 20^th, Brock 23^rd

Race 3: Jilesen 7^th, Bates 14^th, Emery 18^th, Brock 20^th

Overall: Jilesen 6^th (201 points), Bates 15^th (105 points), Brock 16^th (102 points), Emery 24^th (61 points)

Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series – Top 10 Pointscore (after Round 3 of 7)

1. Andrew Thompson – 791

2. Jack Perkins – 677

3. David Russell – 675

4. Scott McLaughlin – 636

5. Daniel Jilesen – 603

6. Tim Blanchard – 571

7. Nick Percat – 556

8. Chaz Mostert – 525

9. Rodney Jane – 486

10. Robert Cregan – 390

(16. Geoff Emery – 259)

(22. Tony Bates – 216)

(30. James Brock – 102)

Greg Murphy Racing has achieved a mixture of results in Race 1, Round 3 of the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series at Townsville today.

The highlight of the day was achieved by Daniel Jilesen in qualifying. The New Zealand driver qualified his R & J Batteries / Earthex VE Commodore a career-best fourth, behind the cars of Andrew Thompson, Nick Percat and Jack Perkins.

The next fastest GMR driver was Geoff Emery, who qualified 12^th. James Brock was 21^st in his return to racing, while Tony Bates was 22^nd.

In the race, Jilesen suffered a slipping clutch and fell to seventh on the opening lap. He lost a further three positions on Lap 7, falling to 10^th, but was able to overtake Chaz Mostert and Tim Blanchard in the final two laps to finish eighth.

James Brock was the next best placed Greg Murphy Racing driver, bringing his Tricor / Drill Pro-sponsored entry home in 14^th. Despite his recent absence from motor-racing, Brock displayed fine race-craft, working his way up to 13^th on the first lap, and battling with Drew Russell and Cameron McConville.

Tony Bates finished 20^th after running as high as 16^th at one stage, but losing positions towards the end of the race while avoiding a spinning Taz Douglas. Geoff Emery unfortunately failed to finish after being caught up as an innocent victim in a Lap 1 incident, which also caused a lengthy safety-car intervention.

Greg Murphy Racing Managing Director Kevin Murphy provided his summary of the team’s progress.

“Today has been a pleasing day for the team overall,” he said.

“Daniel’s form in qualifying was very impressive, and it was a shame he wasn’t able to convert it into a better race result due to the slipping clutch, but at least the car came good at the end and he was able to make up a couple of places.

“James Brock has done a very good job of returning behind the wheel of a race car and while he’s taking some time to get used to the braking of the car, overall he has mad pleasing progress.

“Tony is a bit disappointed, because he was involved in some drama that wasn’t his fault, but at least he avoided damaging the car and as always, he is improving as the weekend progresses.

“Geoff probably didn’t qualify as well as he would have liked, and unfortunately he was caught up in a crash, which wasn’t his fault either.”

Two more Fujitsu V8 Supercar races will be held tomorrow. The next race will be a top-10 reverse-grid race, which Daniel Jilesen will start from third.

One of Australia’s most famous motorsport surnames will return to the V8 Supercar scene next month, with today’s announcement that James Brock will drive for Greg Murphy Racing in Round 3 of the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series at Townsville.

James Brock, the stepson of nine-time Bathurst winner Peter Brock, has not raced a V8 Supercar since the 2001 Bathurst 1000, but has accumulated vast experience in other Australian motorsport categories, including the ultra-competitive V8 Ute Series.

Brock will drive the VE Commodore which Jason Richards steered to victory in Race 2 of the opening Fujitsu Series round at Clipsal. The car will feature support from Drillpro, as well as Brock’s personal backers.

“James is very pleased to have the opportunity to drive in the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series,” GMR Managing Director Kevin Murphy said. “While James has not raced in a V8 Supercar for quite some time, the experience he has gained in other categories should be useful as he reacquaints himself with the driving characteristics of a V8 Supercar. We’re looking forward to working with him.”

“I’m looking forward to racing a V8 Supercar again,” James Brock said. “I don’t really have any expectations in terms of results, but it should be very exciting and fun.

“It’s a good opportunity to get back behind the wheel and experience a current generation car and keep my knowledge current. Over the last few years, I’ve been concentrating on car preparation, so I think this opportunity will help me sharpen my driving skills with current equipment.”

James Brock will join GMR’s regular Fujitsu Series drivers Geoff Emery (AC Delco VE Commodore) and Daniel Jilesen (R & J Batteries VE Commodore), while Tony Bates will return to his SportsAlive.com VE Commodore after missing the previous round of the series at Barbagallo due to injury.

As well as the Townsville round of the Fujitsu Series, it is expected Brock will most likely also contest the Bathurst round of the series, and potentially one other.

Brock will test with the Greg Murphy Racing team at Winton on June 21, ahead of the Townsville event on July 8-10.

Greg Murphy Racing will continue its expansion into the Australian sports car racing market, with a demonstration day at Winton next Tuesday, May 31, for potential customers of Radical racing cars.

GMR is the authorised service agent for Radical racing cars in Victoria, and according to GMR’s sporting director Dean Lillie, Victorian customers can have their vehicles race-prepped by Greg Murphy Racing for the Radical Australia Cup, as well as a range of other racing events and track days.

“The Radicals are a lot less labour-intensive to work on than the V8 Supercars,” Lillie said. “They’re a proper race-car, not a modified road car. There’s a lot less load on drivetrain components, and they go a year on an engine, so they’re a very well-designed, low-cost package.

“For amateur motorsport enthusiasts aiming to enjoy their racing on weekends, and for novice drivers who want to improve their driving skills, the Radical class really is an ideal category in which to race.”

Next Tuesday’s Winton demonstration day will provide a unique opportunity for people to have a taste of the Radical racing experience by going for a ride in a race-car. Three Radical SR3 vehicles will be on hand to complete demonstration laps, with the GMR team and Radical Australia sales manager Byron Smith to be present at the circuit to answer any questions.

For further enquiries about the demonstration day, please contact the Greg Murphy Racing office on (03) 9797 4999.

Greg Murphy Racing driver Daniel Jilesen’s excellent start to the 2011 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series has continued, with a sixth-place finish in Race 1, Round 2 of the series at Barbagallo today.

After qualifying 12^th in his R & J Batteries Commodore, Jilesen capitalised on a number of incidents and set consistent lap-times throughout the 28-lap duration of the race to gain a total of six places by the chequered flag.

The other two Greg Murphy Racing VE Commodores also improved on their grid positions. Geoff Emery qualified 17^th and finished 12^th in the AC Delco-sponsored entry, while Matt Hansen improved to 18^th from his 20^th-place starting position in the SportsAlive.com / Alternative Freight Services Commodore.

Greg Murphy Racing Managing Director Kevin Murphy was particularly impressed with the performance of Jilesen.

“Daniel drove a very smart race and looked after the car,” he said. “It was the sort of race where you could come up with a good result just by staying out of trouble and avoiding incidents. Daniel looked after the tyres as well, which helped him a lot on a track where there’s so much tyre wear.

“Daniel and Geoff both qualified a bit further back than they would have liked, but they will get to start tomorrow’s race where they finished today, so hopefully they can progress even further up the field tomorrow.

“Matt made a few little mistakes and lost a bit of time, but there were some safety-cars which allowed him to catch up to the back of the cars in front. Considering he hadn’t driven that particular car before, it was a good effort from him as well.”

The three GMR Commodores will hit the track for another Fujitsu Series race tomorrow.

Western Australian driver Matt Hansen will make his Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series debut this weekend in Round 2 of the series at Barbagallo, driving for Greg Murphy Racing. Hansen will drive the VE Commodore campaigned at Adelaide by Tony Bates, who has unfortunately been forced to step aside for this round following a nasty crash in the Commodore Cup national series at Bathurst last weekend.

Hansen will join Geoff Emery and Daniel Jilesen in the three-car GMR attack for the event, and GMR Managing Director Kevin Murphy is expecting a strong showing from all three cars.

“While it is disappointing that Tony has been forced to withdraw from this meeting, Matt Hansen has local knowledge and has been racing in the V8 Touring Car Series so he has experience in a V8 Supercar,” Murphy said.

“Matt actually owns Geoff Emery’s old car, and those who have watched him race rate him highly.

“Daniel Jilesen is also very confident about this weekend, and he’s looking forward to racing on a more open circuit, as is Geoff Emery. Both drivers showed some good pace at Adelaide, and Daniel ended up with a great overall result.

“While some of the drivers in the Fujitsu Series field this weekend have experience at Barbagallo in other categories, not many people have driven there in a V8 Supercar, so it will be a fairly level playing field.”

Daniel Jilesen and Geoff Emery will again be aiming to provide the maximum level of exposure for their respective car sponsors, R & J Batteries and AC Delco, while Greg Murphy Racing is also pleased to welcome Avis Car Rental and DE Grey Civil and Contracting on board as team supporters for this event.

The three Greg Murphy Racing VE Commodores will take to Barbagallo for two practice sessions tomorrow, followed by qualifying and Race 1 on Saturday and Race 2 on Sunday.

Fans of Greg Murphy Racing now have the opportunity to take home a piece of GMR’s 2010 Fujitsu Series success, following the creation of a 1:18 scale model of Steve Owen’s 2010 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Championship-winning VE Commodore.

The scale model will be a limited run of just 300 units, so interested collectors need to get in quickly. The model cars will retail for $225 plus postage and handling.

Please download the attached order form and return it to Greg Murphy Racing to purchase a significant memento of the team’s 2010 success.

2010 Fujitsu Series Steve Owen Model Car Order Form