Serious back problems have again sidelined the Pepsi Max Crew’s Greg Murphy – and this time it’s for an extended period of time.

Murphy will not only miss the SKYCITY Triple Crown in Darwin next week, but is also expected to miss the Townsville, Queensland Raceway and Sydney Motorsport Park events of the V8 Supercars Championship.

The Kiwi will have further surgery next week with an aim to return to the cockpit of his familiar #51 Commodore for the Sandown 500 in mid-September or, at worst, the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 in October.

“Despite the discectomy procedure I had after Clipsal, the disc has continued to rupture and I’ve been in a fair amount of pain and discomfort this week,” said Murphy.

“I need to get the vertebrae fused to sort this once and for all and while it means I’ll be out of the car for the next three months, I expect to be 100% and back racing for the Pepsi Max Crew here in Australia and Mike Pero Racing in New Zealand by the end of September.

“It’s obviously not ideal – being out of the car is never good in motorsport, but Kelly Racing and all my sponsors on both sides of the Tasman have been incredibly understanding and supportive.

“My medical team has assured me that I will have no lasting effects from this operation which is expected to fast track a full recovery.

“I need to focus on my operation but I know contingency plans are already well under way for the rounds ahead and would expect announcements on who will fill in for me while I am out of action very soon.”

Kelly Racing today said it expects to make an announcement on Monday regarding Murphy’s replacement for Darwin and will outline its plans for beyond Hidden Valley at a later date.

One possible replacement pilot is Owen Kelly, who already has been announced as Murphy’s endurance co-driver for later in the season.

Kelly Racing also has David Russell – who filled in for Murphy in Tasmania earlier in the year when the regular Pepsi Max Crew pilot was laid up with back dramas – signed up and potentially available.

“We will be doing everything we can to assist Greg in making a full recovery, and depending on his medical advice, get him back racing as soon as practical,” said Kelly Racing co-owner/driver Rick Kelly.

“Greg is one tough, hard character who will bounce back strong from this unfortunate set back to his 2012 racing season.

“This is like the old saying of ‘the best laid plans of mice and men going astray’ as the Pepsi Max Crew had a massive plan built around Greg and the Darwin race with a spectacular new livery launch.”

The four-time Bathurst winner has a long history of back injuries and missed this year’s Tasmania Challenge at Symmons Plains after an old injury flared in his qualifying accident at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide with Jonathon Webb.

After competing last weekend in the V8SuperTourers event at Hampton Downs in New Zealand, Murphy has been forced to the sidelines of the V8 Supercars Championship once more.

Last year’s Bathurst pole-sitter, who will turn 40 in August, has a long, well-documented history of back problems.

He was forced to miss the final race of the 2003 V8 Supercars Championship at Eastern Creek after injuring his back getting out of a promotional car pre-race.

In 2010 he was touch-and-go to compete in the Phillip Island 500 after further back problems again reared their head.

His Paul Morris Motorsports team placed countryman Daniel Gaunt on alert as a substitute – though Murphy did end up racing.