Murphy and Kelly win back to back Bathursts

The Kmart Racing duo won one of the most competitive V8 Supercar endurance races in history, taking the chequered flag ahead of the Falcon of Glenn Seton and Craig Lowndes to record Holden's six consecutive victory in Australia's Great Race.

The Kmart Racing Commodore was chased home by a pack of six Fords but had the pace in the sprint to the line after the last round of pit stops to outrun the Falcons.

"It was a tough day and not easy at all," said Murphy, who claimed his fourth Bathurst victory.

"I made a bad start and the car wasn't quite on the pace in the first stint. The guys called a really great five pit stop strategy and we had a Safety Car period where we could top up the tank and run to the finish.

"In that last stint the car got better and better as the fuel load wore off. This is just awesome."

Murphy joins Allan Moffat and Mark Skaife with four victories in the world's greatest touring car race. Only Larry Perkins (six), Jim Richards (seven) and Peter Brock (nine) have won more Bathurst races. Murphy also joins fellow Holden campaigner Skaife as the most successful regular drivers at Bathurst who still compete in the Australian V8 Supercar Championship Series.

Stone Brothers Racing's Marcos Ambrose extended his lead in the V8 Supercar Championship Series Ambrose and co-driver Greg Ritter finished fourth in the 161-lap enduro in the Pirtek Falcon.

The other major contest in Australia, the Federal election, meant that race fans who could not vote in their local polling booths had to make other arrangements. Those enrolled in New South Wales can make an absent vote at any polling place in New South Wales on election day.

Special consideration had been given to race fans from other states who were able to vote at the interstate voting centre located at the Old Bathurst Visitors' Centre, 28 William St, Bathurst on election day

The first practice session on Thursday went badly for Ambrose when he clipped the wall on the exit of The Cutting on his first lap and damaged the rear axle housing, which meant he missed the rest of that session.

"Unfortunately I got a bit loose going out of the cutting and clipped the wall which did the damage," said Ambrose.

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