From one Kiwi to another went the record for the fastest ever trip around Mount Panorama in a V8 Supercar.

There was little doubt Greg Murphy’s famous Lap of the Gods was going to be smashed on the new track surface this week.

But few would have expected fellow New Zealander Fabian Coulthard to do it.

Coulthard clocked a time of two minutes, 5.6080 seconds in Friday’s qualifying for provisional pole position for Sunday’s Bathurst 1000.

It was 1.2 seconds clear of Murphy’s time, which he laid down for pole position in the 2003 Top 10 shootout.

While most drivers agree that that lap will always be the greatest, Coulthard was still proud of his efforts.

“To have the outright qualy lap record at the moment is pretty cool, I’m not going to lie,” Coulthard said.

“It takes a little bit to get me excited, but I’m pretty pumped by that.

“I’m not sure that it’s enough. I think in the shootout tomorrow we may see it tumble down again as the grip gets better and better.

“But I’m taking it while it’s mine at the moment.”

Countryman Shane van Gisbergen was just 0.0931 seconds shy of Coulthard’s sizzler, with another Kiwi Scott McLaughlin’s Volvo not too far behind as well.

“For us Kiwis it’s pretty cool,” van Gisbergen said.

“Hopefully it makes the news there (in New Zealand) tonight and gets everyone excited about the race.

“I just hope we all do well. We’re all in good cars and have got good opportunities.

“Hopefully one of us gives it a good shot.”