Look Out For Murph The Book

[murph51]

WAIKATO TIMES, Hamilton: V8 Supercars driver Greg Murphy managed to sneak in a quick lap of the Hamilton 400 street circuit yesterday during a whistle-stop visit to the city.

But the real reason the Holden driver was in town was to catch up with students from Hamilton West School, who plan to write a children's book based on the driver.

The book is provisionally titled Murph The Supercar and will tell the story of how a little car grows up to become a big Supercar.

The students used the opportunity to grill Murphy for information to be used in the book - and in some cases putting the calm Tasman Motorsport driver under pressure.

Questions ranged from what mischief he got up to as a child, to race strategies, to whether he had any good luck traditions before races.

"I don't really have any superstitions or anything," he said to the latter question. "I don't ever wear any funny undies or anything."

The question-and-answer session was filmed and will become the basis of the book.

The idea for the book came from board of trustees member Michael Slack, who wanted a different way of fundraising for the school.

"Funding is always an issue and I just thought with the V8s coming to town next year that a book on Murph could be something a bit different," said Mr Slack, whose daughter Tayla, seven, attends the school.

Mr Slack said he was thrilled that Murphy had made the effort to visit.

To make the book, the school still needs sponsors and a couple of illustrators to come on board once the story is finalised.

The project is in the hands of a senior and junior group at the school.

Mr Slack hoped the book would be published by February in time for the inaugural running of the Hamilton 400 in April.