Emerging Kiwi star Fabian Coulthard is hoping he might be the one to step into the shoes of the great Greg Murphy to fly the Kiwi flag in V8 Supercars.
While it's early days in the new era of the Car of Now, brand new models right down the field with a closer set of equipment Coulthard has been the big early season mover, capped with two wins in a row at the MSS Security Challenge in Melbourne this weekend.
Coulthard believes this is his, and others, time to shine now that the playing field is the most level in the history of the sport. He also had brand new machinery underneath him, a rarity for the smaller Albury-based Brad Jones Racing team.
The 28-year-old Auckland raised Coulthard has been in scintillating form in his Lockwood Commodore, as has his team-mate Jason Bright in the Team BOC entry.
The pair were split only by Red Bull Racing Australia's Craig Lowndes today but he was sweating on the stewards after he and Bright came together in pit lane, an offence which if found guilty of wrong doing can result in a post-race penalty.
Coulthard's form augers well as the sport looks to return to the revamped Pukekohe Park next month for the ITM 400 Auckland. He, Shane van Gisbergen and rookie Scott McLaughlin are flying the Kiwi flag very high in the opening events.
"It's awesome. We have had a dream run - first career pole and won two races out of the first two we have run," Coulthard said.
"It's good for me, good for New Zealand and I think New Zealand needs to get behind us three; and even Johnny Reid who will get up to speed."
Coulthard wants to be the next Murphy, and claims this presents the best opportunity.
"I'd love that person to be me," he said. "The Car of the Future has made the transition easier. We have all got that same or thereabouts equipment now.
"In last year's car there was horsepower variance and car quality variance, handling characteristics and so on. Everybody now has the base car and whoever extracts best on the day gets the result.
"We have got to maximise every race we got to. It's massive for my confidence. I always knew I had the ability to do it, this has just restored that faith."
It's the same for the resurgent Bright who now claims multiple race wins are a very real poosibility.
"These new cars were always going to be good for us. All of those things are in our favour," Bright said. "I expected to be up there and we have showed that. We will be strong most of the year."
The unsung hero of the race was Nissan Motorsport and the Altima of Norton 360 Racing's James Moffatt who almost had a hand on the podium if things fell his way. Moffatt ended up fifth but was so close to a podium spot he could have reached out and touched it.
The third race of the weekend takes place at 3.20 tomorrow afternoon.