Holden icon Greg Murphy says he doesn’t want to step away from a full-time driver’s role in the V8 Supercars championship if he can help it.

The 40-year-old New Zealander, a four-time Bathurst champion, has had a difficult season at Kelly Racing and missed three rounds as he recovered from back surgery with ex-Formula One driver Jacques Villeneuve taking over in his absence.

If Murphy, who has no deal for next year, did enter the co-driver market for next year’s endurance races he’d be hot property given his history of strong performances at Mount Panorama.

But despite Paul Dumbrell’s success this year alongside Jamie Whincup less than a year after Dumbrell retired from main-game driving, Murphy said that path hadn’t tempted him just yet.

“Listen, it’s a great thing, I’m so stoked for PD he’s been bashing away in the championship for a long time, a great bloke and now got a Bathurst to his name, great for him,” Murphy told AAP.

“That kind of opportunity, to be in a team like Triple Eight and have chances of winning, it looks pretty awesome doesn’t it? But there’s not that many opportunities to do that around the pitlane.”

Murphy said it was “absolutely” his preference to stay in the main game if a deal becomes available but there are doubts over where a seat would be available in the 2013 championship.

His long-standing association with Holden and his injury woes have all but ruled out staying with Kelly Racing next year with that team set to join Japanese manufacturer Nissan as a factory team.

The Holden ties also make a switch to one of the Ford teams unlikely, leaving just a handful of possibilities as to where Murphy could end up with several current Holden drivers already locked into deals for 2013.

“I’m not thinking down any route,” he said.

“At the moment I’m keen to exhaust everything to be honest.”