Andrew Murfet’s involvement in motor sport commenced in 1980 when he began competing in club days at Symmons Plains and Baskerville in a Mazda 929 road car.

The 929 was then replaced with a Mazda Capella, before Andrew made the transition to rallying in 1982, finishing all six rounds of the state championship, including a heat win, and winning the C grade state title.

In 1983 Andrew won round three of the Tasmanian Rally Championship, now in a Toyota twin-cam powered car, before scoring two wins and a third in 1984, in the now upgraded rotary-powered car.

The Devonport fitter also proved his rising star status by finishing second in the Fairford’s Special Stage event to national champion David Officer.

That year Andrew was awarded the Police Commissioners Award for highest achievement for a Tasmanian in motorsport for the year.

In 1985 Andrew and navigator Pip Welch became the first resident Tasmanians to contest rounds of the Australian Rally Championship, scoring third and fourth places, to finish sixth overall in the championship as well as winning the Tasmanian championship in the same season.

Together with new navigator Tony Jackson, the team contested all six rounds of the ARC in 1986, but in round one in Tasmania, the Mazda broke an axle within 30 kilometres of the finish while Andrew and Tony were leading by five minutes.

There were further dramas in rounds two and three to leave them 12th and 8th respectively, but then the transition to a new state-of-the-art all-wheel-drive turbo-charged Mazda 323 saw victory in Queensland for the team, becoming the first resident-Tasmanians to win an ARC round.

It was an outstanding achievement on what was shoe string budget.

Andrew and Tony were provisional winners in the South Australian round, but were denied the win in controversial circumstance - not of their doing - and had to settle for second place.

The team failed to finish in the final round in Victoria due to damage while in a solid second place, but still finished a brilliant third outright in the championship.

And, to cap off the year they also won the Tasmanian championship, winning all rounds contested.

From 1987 budget constraints limited outings firstly in a Mazda RX-4 before a switch to another 323.

However, the arrival of an all-wheel drive Nissan Gti-R saw Andrew and Tony score back to back to State Championships in 1996 and 1997.

The pair were also regular competitors in the all-tarmac Rally Tasmania events, finishing second to multiple ARC champion Ed Ordynski in 1997 and Victorian champion Graham Alexander in 1998.

A later model Nissan GTi-R carried Andrew to his fifth State title in 2001, which included a win in the TRC leg of the Saxon Safari ARC event.

His fifth state title placed him equal second for the number of state championships, along with the late Lin Gigney.

The highlight for Andrew’s final year in 2002 was winning Class 6 in the Saxon Safari ARC event.

Apart from an outstanding career behind the wheel, it should be remembered that Andrew carried out all his own car preparation and maintenance work and in addition, on numerous occasions, he was a valued crew member of the highly successful Neal Bates Motorsport ARC team.

Andrew’s determination and commitment to the sport and his outstanding success make him a very worthy inductee the Tasmanian Motorsport Hall of Fame.       

Profile by Barry Oliver