Kelly Racing
Encyclopedia
Kelly Racing is a team competing in the Australian V8 Supercar
series. It is owned by John and Margaret Kelly, and made its debut in 2009. The team's current four drivers are 2006 V8 Supercar series
champion Rick Kelly
and 2005 Bathurst 1000 winner Todd Kelly
(John and Margaret's sons), four time Bathurst 1000
winner Greg Murphy
and Carrera Cup and Formula Ford
champion David Reynolds
.
and Todd
act as lead drivers for 2009, with sponsorship from Jack Daniel's
. Jack Perkins
, with sponsorship from Dodo Internet, and Dale Wood
(though later replaced by Mark McNally
), with sponsorship from Hi-Tec Oils and Red Rooster
, were confirmed as drivers of the third and fourth Kelly Racing entries.
, with whom they formed the HSV Dealer Team, team principals John and Margaret Kelly took their two V8 Supercar team licences - numbers #15 and #16 - to set up Kelly Racing, forcing Walkinshaw to find other licences to run his second team
in the championship.
With a decision by Holden
to reduce support for most teams running their Commodore
product in the series for 2009, along with the impending economic crisis, racing legend Larry Perkins
chose to scale back his involvement in the sport through his Perkins Engineering team at the end of 2008. His two team licences - numbers #7 and #11 - will be used by Kelly Racing to form a four-car team. Ironically, through the effective merger of the Perkins Engineering team and the new Kelly Racing, Perkins indirectly maintained support from Holden through the new arrangements.
The Kelly's and Perkins swapped one of their racing numbers between themselves so that the Kelly owned licences could make use of the #7 racing number, to suit major sponsor Jack Daniel's
and their "Old Number 7" brand. This sponsorship had been carried over from Perkins Engineering, where Todd Kelly was previously using the #7 racing number on behalf of Jack Daniels
. This is similar to the relationship that NASCAR
team, Richard Childress Racing
has with Jack Daniels, and their car driven by Casey Mears
, which uses racing number #07.
car still to be confirmed, the #16 car ran an interim testing livery, thanking the team for getting all four cars ready for the season in two months.
The team's first race was the 2009 Clipsal 500
, held from March 19-22. The two Kelly brothers finished in the top ten in the first race, Todd in 7th and Rick in 10th, after starting 24th and 17th respectively. Wood, who did not set a qualifying time after a crash in practice, finished 14th after starting from pitlane. Perkins failed to finish due to badly damaged steering caused by brushing the wall. Rick was the only one of the four drivers to finish the second race, again in 10th place. Todd Kelly and Jack Perkins both inflicted steering damage from contact with other cars while Dale Wood spun into the wall. The team left the weekend with Rick Kelly 8th in the championship standings, Todd Kelly in 16th, Dale Wood in 24th and Jack Perkins in 30th. Todd made the following comment on the team's first weekend: "Getting an event under our belt, we've now got pages and pages of things we need to address and improve on. This is our first race as a brand new team so given that, I think the weekend wasn't too bad."
Todd and Rick achieved numerous top ten results as the season went on, the best being Rick's 4th places at Winton
and Hidden Valley
, while Perkins and Wood struggled. Wood was replaced by Mark McNally
from the Townsville round
onwards. Former World Superbike champion Troy Bayliss
tested with the team in August but nothing came of this, with Bayliss driving with Dean Fiore
and Triple F Racing
in the endurance races.
Todd and Rick teamed up in the #7 car for the endurances races at Phillip Island
and Bathurst with Nathan Pretty and Ben Collins
driving the #15 car. Dale Wood returned to the driving seat to partner Jack Perkins in the #11 car while Tony Ricciardello
joined Mark McNally in the #16 car. The Kelly brothers finished fifth in the L&H 500
after Todd won one of the qualifying races. Bet 24/7 came onboard as major sponsor for the #11 car before Bathurst, with Perkins and Wood running #247 for the Bathurst weekend. Todd and Rick Kelly were running in second place with only a handful of laps to go in the Bathurst 1000, but a damaged rear wing and a late safety car led to the brothers finishing in eighth place.
Perkins reverted to #11 of the remainder of the season. The team scored its first podium finish at the The Island 300
, which turned out to be the first in a hat-trick of podiums for the team, with Rick finishing third and second at Phillip Island and Todd finishing second in race one at Barbagallo
. The final championship standings saw Rick Kelly finish in eighth, Todd Kelly in 18th, Jack Perkins in 26th, Dale Wood in 29th and Mark McNally in 30th. Jack Daniel's Racing (#7 and #15) finished sixth in teams' championship with Kelly Racing (#11 and #16) in 13th and last of the two car teams.
would be joining the team for the 2010
season with sponsorship from Rock Energy Drinks. Bargwanna was previously with Tasman Motorsport
, a team which had just announced that it would close at the end of the 2009 season. Tony Ricciardello would take over the #16 car, first with Supermaxx sponsorship before Stratco became the major sponsor for the #16 car. Todd and Rick Kelly continued driving cars #7 and #15 with Jack Daniel's Sponsorship.
Rick took the team's first pole position at Winton
but did not manage a win. Only one podium result came out of 2010, Rick finishing third in the rain-affected first race of the Sydney 500.
For the endurance races, Rick and Todd were not allowed to pair up due to new regulations regarding endurance co-drivers. Owen Kelly, of no relation to the two brothers, would join Rick in the #15 car while Dale Wood drove with Todd. Ricciardello was partnered by Taz Douglas
while two-time Australian touring car
champion Glenn Seton
partnered Bargwanna. Rick and Owen had a strong run at the L&H 500
, finishing fourth after needing to conserve fuel at the end of the race, while the other three cars all finished outside the top fifteen. The team had a disappointing Bathurst, with none of the cars finishing in the top ten, the best result 16th place for Rick and Owen.
The team hired Scott Dixon
and Alex Tagliani
as its international drivers for the Gold Coast 600
, Dixon driving with Todd Kelly and Tagliani with Bargwanna. Owen Kelly remained with Rick and Wood moved into the #16 car with Ricciardello. It proved to be another average weekend, with Rick and Owen again providing the best result, a sixth place in race two.
The final championship standings saw Rick and Todd repeat their 2009 efforts, finishing eighth and 18th respectively. Bargwanna ended up 24th and Ricciardello was 26th. Jack Daniel's Racing was fifth in the teams' championship and Kelly Racing was 11th.
drove the #16 car with continued sponsorship from Stratco after missing out on a full time drive in 2010.
2011
has been the team's most successful season to date. Rick Kelly scored the team's first race win in wet conditions at the Hamilton 400
.. Todd made it an extra special day by finishing in third place despite having a broken windscreen wiper. After 18 races, Rick sits fourth in the points standing with two race wins and a pole position and each of the four drivers has scored a top six race result. Reynolds has impressed on his return to V8 Supercars, with numerous top ten qualifying efforts and two top five race results.
For the endurance races, the team has signed David Russell, Allan Simonsen
, Owen Kelly and Tim Blanchard
to drive with Todd, Murphy, Rick and Reynolds respectively at the L&H 500
and the Bathurst 1000
. For the Gold Coast 600, the team has signed Richard Westbrook
, Oliver Gavin
, Jörg Bergmeister
and Alex Tagliani
.
and Rick Kelly
race under the Jack Daniel's Racing banner as one half of the Kelly Racing outfit, driving cars #7 and #15. The Jack Daniel's sponsorship moved across to the team from Perkins Engineering, the team that Todd drove for in 2008. Todd and Rick Kelly have driven the Jack Daniel's cars in all years that Kelly Racing has been competing in the championship.
The second half of the four-car Kelly Racing outfit uses the Kelly Racing name and has been less successful than the other half of the team. Jack Perkins
and Dale Wood
were the original drivers for the team in 2009, racing cars #11 and #16 respectively, with backing from Dodo and Hi-Tec Oils. Wood was replaced by Mark McNally
during the season. For 2010, Jason Bargwanna
drove car #11 with backing from Rock Energy Drinks and Tony Ricciardello
drove car #16 with Stratco sponsorship. Greg Murphy
and Pepsi Max
replaced Bargwanna and Rock Energy for 2011 while David Reynolds
drove the #16 car with continued backing from Stratco.
Matthew House has been named as the team manager of the Dodo Racing / Hi-Tec Oils Racing half of the combined Kelly Racing team, and while Barry Jones was initially named as the engineer of the #11 car, he was later replaced with Mike Gennery, and later still by James Small. Oscar Fiorinotto was named as the engineer of the #16 car.
Later still, following the resignation of Joe Bremner to pursue other interests, a management restructure took place, including further changes to engineering positions. Matthew House moved from the team manager position for the #11 and #16 cars, to take over the role previously filled by Bremner for the #7 and #15 cars. James Small, who had recently taken up the position of engineer for the #11 car, moved across to take over the engineering role on Todd Kelly's #7 car, with the previous engineer of this car, Barry Ryan, taking over the team manager role for the #11 and #16 cars, vacated by House. The new engineer for the #11 car was named as Stewart McDonald, who joined the team from Tasman Motorsport, which had announced it was shutting down operations at the end of 2009.
in turn formed the second half of the Kelly Racing team. Perkins Engineering will be responsible for heavy engineering work, particularly in the construction of racing chassis for the team.
V8 Supercar
V8 Supercars is a touring car racing category based in Australia and run as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile regulations...
series. It is owned by John and Margaret Kelly, and made its debut in 2009. The team's current four drivers are 2006 V8 Supercar series
2006 V8 Supercar Championship Series
The 2006 V8 Supercar season was the 8th running of the V8 Supercar Championship Series. It began on 25 March 2006 in Adelaide and ended on 10 December at Phillip Island after 13 rounds.-Race Calendar:...
champion Rick Kelly
Rick Kelly
Rick Kelly is a current V8 Supercar racing driver, currently living in Melbourne, Victoria. He is the younger brother of former Bathurst 1000 champion, Todd Kelly...
and 2005 Bathurst 1000 winner Todd Kelly
Todd Kelly
Todd Kelly is a V8 Supercar racing driver, currently living in Melbourne, Victoria. He is the older brother of former V8 Supercar and Bathurst 1000 champion, Rick Kelly. He drove for the Holden Racing Team from 2003 until 2007, and Jack Daniel's Racing in 2008...
(John and Margaret's sons), four time Bathurst 1000
Bathurst 1000
The Bathurst 1000 is a touring car race held annually at Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia...
winner Greg Murphy
Greg Murphy
Greg Murphy is a racing driver, best known as a four-time winner of the Bathurst 1000. Greg Murphy joined Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond presenting Top Gear, when it had its first international Live show at ASB Showgrounds in Auckland from February 12 - 15th 2009, and again when the show...
and Carrera Cup and Formula Ford
Formula Ford
Formula Ford is a single seater, open wheel class in motorsport which exists in some form in many countries around the world. It is an entry-level series to motor racing....
champion David Reynolds
David Reynolds (racing driver)
David Reynolds is an Australian racing driver.-Twice champion:Reynolds stepped into a national series campaign in the 2003 Australian Formula Ford Championship, finishing outside the top ten at series end. For 2004 Reynolds joined the Sonic Motor Racing Services for what would be four years and...
.
Introduction
Despite some initial hurdles, the team was formed in 2009, launching officially on the evening of 2 March 2009, after several months of preparation. The two sons of the owners, RickRick Kelly
Rick Kelly is a current V8 Supercar racing driver, currently living in Melbourne, Victoria. He is the younger brother of former Bathurst 1000 champion, Todd Kelly...
and Todd
Todd Kelly
Todd Kelly is a V8 Supercar racing driver, currently living in Melbourne, Victoria. He is the older brother of former V8 Supercar and Bathurst 1000 champion, Rick Kelly. He drove for the Holden Racing Team from 2003 until 2007, and Jack Daniel's Racing in 2008...
act as lead drivers for 2009, with sponsorship from Jack Daniel's
Jack Daniel's
Jack Daniel's is a brand of sour mash Tennessee whiskey that is among the world's best-selling liquors. It is known for its square bottles and black label. As of November, 2007, one blogger was claiming that it was the best-selling whiskey in the world. It is produced in Lynchburg, Tennessee by...
. Jack Perkins
Jack Perkins (racing driver)
Jack 'Perko' Perkins is an Australian V8 Supercar driver for James Rosenberg Racing in the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series. He is the son of Australian motor racing legend Larry Perkins, in whose team Perkins Engineering, he drove between 2006 and 2008...
, with sponsorship from Dodo Internet, and Dale Wood
Dale Wood (racing driver)
Dale Wood is a V8 Supercar racing driver, currently living in Melbourne, Victoria. He commenced his full time V8 Supercar career in 2009 with the newly formed team Kelly Racing team, having raced previously for the Tasman Motorsport aligned Greg Murphy Racing Fujitsu series squad...
(though later replaced by Mark McNally
Mark McNally (racing driver)
Mark McNally is an Australian racing driver. He made his V8 Supercar debut at the 2009 Dunlop Townsville 400.-Career:...
), with sponsorship from Hi-Tec Oils and Red Rooster
Red Rooster
Red Rooster is an Australian fast food restaurant chain. Red Rooster specialises in selling roasted chicken and other related products.- History :...
, were confirmed as drivers of the third and fourth Kelly Racing entries.
Formation
After a troubled relationship with Tom WalkinshawTom Walkinshaw
Tom Walkinshaw was a Scottish racing car driver and the founder of the racing team Tom Walkinshaw Racing...
, with whom they formed the HSV Dealer Team, team principals John and Margaret Kelly took their two V8 Supercar team licences - numbers #15 and #16 - to set up Kelly Racing, forcing Walkinshaw to find other licences to run his second team
Walkinshaw Racing
Walkinshaw Racing, known commercially as Bundaberg Racing Team, is one of two Australian motor racing teams operated by British owned Walkinshaw Performance...
in the championship.
With a decision by Holden
Holden
GM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931...
to reduce support for most teams running their Commodore
Holden Commodore
The Holden Commodore is an automobile manufactured since 1978 by the Holden subsidiary of General Motors in Australia, and, formerly, in New Zealand. In the mid-1970s, Holden established proposals to replace the long-serving Kingswood nameplate with a smaller, Opel-based model...
product in the series for 2009, along with the impending economic crisis, racing legend Larry Perkins
Larry Perkins
Larry Clifton Perkins is a former racing driver and V8 Supercar team owner from Australia.-Career:...
chose to scale back his involvement in the sport through his Perkins Engineering team at the end of 2008. His two team licences - numbers #7 and #11 - will be used by Kelly Racing to form a four-car team. Ironically, through the effective merger of the Perkins Engineering team and the new Kelly Racing, Perkins indirectly maintained support from Holden through the new arrangements.
The Kelly's and Perkins swapped one of their racing numbers between themselves so that the Kelly owned licences could make use of the #7 racing number, to suit major sponsor Jack Daniel's
Jack Daniel's
Jack Daniel's is a brand of sour mash Tennessee whiskey that is among the world's best-selling liquors. It is known for its square bottles and black label. As of November, 2007, one blogger was claiming that it was the best-selling whiskey in the world. It is produced in Lynchburg, Tennessee by...
and their "Old Number 7" brand. This sponsorship had been carried over from Perkins Engineering, where Todd Kelly was previously using the #7 racing number on behalf of Jack Daniels
Jack Daniel's
Jack Daniel's is a brand of sour mash Tennessee whiskey that is among the world's best-selling liquors. It is known for its square bottles and black label. As of November, 2007, one blogger was claiming that it was the best-selling whiskey in the world. It is produced in Lynchburg, Tennessee by...
. This is similar to the relationship that NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
team, Richard Childress Racing
Richard Childress Racing
RCR Enterprises, LLC, doing business as Richard Childress Racing, is a NASCAR team based in Welcome, North Carolina, and is owned and operated by former driver Richard Childress...
has with Jack Daniels, and their car driven by Casey Mears
Casey Mears
Casey James Mears is the driver of the #13 GEICO Toyota for Germain Racing in the Sprint Cup Series. He is a former winner of the Coca-Cola 600....
, which uses racing number #07.
2009
The new team had its track debut at Winton Raceway on 3 March 2009, running the allowed 20-lap shakedown test for newly constructed cars in the V8 Supercar category, which was declared a success by both Todd and Rick. Following this initial shakedown, the team appeared at the official category test day at the same circuit on 9 March 2009, where all four cars appeared. At the test day, with the sponsorship of the Dale WoodDale Wood (racing driver)
Dale Wood is a V8 Supercar racing driver, currently living in Melbourne, Victoria. He commenced his full time V8 Supercar career in 2009 with the newly formed team Kelly Racing team, having raced previously for the Tasman Motorsport aligned Greg Murphy Racing Fujitsu series squad...
car still to be confirmed, the #16 car ran an interim testing livery, thanking the team for getting all four cars ready for the season in two months.
The team's first race was the 2009 Clipsal 500
2009 Clipsal 500
The 2009 Clipsal 500 was the first race of the 2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series. It was held on the weekend of 19 March–22 around the inner city streets of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia...
, held from March 19-22. The two Kelly brothers finished in the top ten in the first race, Todd in 7th and Rick in 10th, after starting 24th and 17th respectively. Wood, who did not set a qualifying time after a crash in practice, finished 14th after starting from pitlane. Perkins failed to finish due to badly damaged steering caused by brushing the wall. Rick was the only one of the four drivers to finish the second race, again in 10th place. Todd Kelly and Jack Perkins both inflicted steering damage from contact with other cars while Dale Wood spun into the wall. The team left the weekend with Rick Kelly 8th in the championship standings, Todd Kelly in 16th, Dale Wood in 24th and Jack Perkins in 30th. Todd made the following comment on the team's first weekend: "Getting an event under our belt, we've now got pages and pages of things we need to address and improve on. This is our first race as a brand new team so given that, I think the weekend wasn't too bad."
Todd and Rick achieved numerous top ten results as the season went on, the best being Rick's 4th places at Winton
2009 Winton V8 Supercar Event
The 2009 Winton V8 Supercar Event was the third race meeting of the 2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series. It contained Rounds 5 and 6 of the series and was held on the weekend of May 1–3 at Winton Motor Raceway, near Benalla, in rural Victoria....
and Hidden Valley
2009 Skycity Triple Crown
The 2009 Skycity Triple Crown was the fifth race meeting of the 2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series. It contained Rounds 9 and 10 of the series and was held on the weekend of 19–21 June at Hidden Valley Raceway, in Darwin, in the Northern Territory, Australia.-Recent changes:With just 103...
, while Perkins and Wood struggled. Wood was replaced by Mark McNally
Mark McNally (racing driver)
Mark McNally is an Australian racing driver. He made his V8 Supercar debut at the 2009 Dunlop Townsville 400.-Career:...
from the Townsville round
2009 Dunlop Townsville 400
The 2009 Dunlop Townsville 400 was the sixth race meeting of the 2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series. It contained Rounds 11 and 12 of the series and was held on the weekend of 11–12 July at Townsville Street Circuit, in Townsville in Queensland, Australia.-New event:The 2009 Townsville 400...
onwards. Former World Superbike champion Troy Bayliss
Troy Bayliss
Troy Bayliss is a retired Australian motorcycle racer. During his career Bayliss won the Superbike World Championship three times, as well as the British Superbike Championship and a MotoGP race, all with Ducati. He finished his career after winning the 2008 World Superbike title...
tested with the team in August but nothing came of this, with Bayliss driving with Dean Fiore
Dean Fiore
Dean Fiore Dean Fiore Dean Fiore (born December 1, 1983 in Kalgoorlie Western Australia is an Australian racing driver. Fiore presently races for his own team, Triple F Racing, a satellite operation of Paul Morris Motorsport in the 2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series....
and Triple F Racing
Triple F Racing
Triple F Racing is an Australian motor racing team that is competing in the International V8 Supercars Championship. The team is today based on the Gold Coast in Queenland but continues to have strong links with the team's original home in Perth, Western Australia.The team was formed by the West...
in the endurance races.
Todd and Rick teamed up in the #7 car for the endurances races at Phillip Island
Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit
The Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit is a motor racing racing circuit on Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia. The circuit was opened in 1956.-Road circuit:...
and Bathurst with Nathan Pretty and Ben Collins
Ben Collins (driver)
Ben Collins is a racing car driver from Bristol, England. He has competed in motor racing since 1994 in many categories, from Formula Three and Indy Lights to sportscars, GT racing and stock cars....
driving the #15 car. Dale Wood returned to the driving seat to partner Jack Perkins in the #11 car while Tony Ricciardello
Tony Ricciardello
Tony Ricciardello, , is a multiple-championship winning Australian race car driver.Son of Sports Sedan racer and team owner Basil Ricciardello, Tony was brought up into the Western Australian racing scene...
joined Mark McNally in the #16 car. The Kelly brothers finished fifth in the L&H 500
2009 L&H 500
The 2009 L&H 500 was the Race 17 of the 2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series. It was held on the weekend of 11 to 13 September at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in Victoria, Australia. This was the ninth running of the Phillip Island 500 and the second time that Phillip Island had served as...
after Todd won one of the qualifying races. Bet 24/7 came onboard as major sponsor for the #11 car before Bathurst, with Perkins and Wood running #247 for the Bathurst weekend. Todd and Rick Kelly were running in second place with only a handful of laps to go in the Bathurst 1000, but a damaged rear wing and a late safety car led to the brothers finishing in eighth place.
Perkins reverted to #11 of the remainder of the season. The team scored its first podium finish at the The Island 300
2009 The Island 300
The 2009 Island 300 was the twelfth event of the 2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series. It was held on the weekend of the November 7 and 8 at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in Victoria. The meeting was a late addition to the calendar, V8 Supercar having already raced at Phillip Island in...
, which turned out to be the first in a hat-trick of podiums for the team, with Rick finishing third and second at Phillip Island and Todd finishing second in race one at Barbagallo
2009 BigPond 300
The 2009 BigPond 300 is the thirtieth event of the 2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series. It was held on the weekend of the November 20 and 22 at the Barbagallo Raceway in Western Australia...
. The final championship standings saw Rick Kelly finish in eighth, Todd Kelly in 18th, Jack Perkins in 26th, Dale Wood in 29th and Mark McNally in 30th. Jack Daniel's Racing (#7 and #15) finished sixth in teams' championship with Kelly Racing (#11 and #16) in 13th and last of the two car teams.
2010
On 23 November 2009, it was announced that Jason BargwannaJason Bargwanna
Jason Bargwanna is an Australian racing driver who competes in the V8 Supercar Championship Series.-Career history:Bargwanna commenced his racing career in the late 1980s, initially competing in the Formula Vee category...
would be joining the team for the 2010
2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series
The 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series was an FIA sanctioned international motor racing series for V8 Supercars. It was the twelfth V8 Supercar Championship Series and the fourteenth series in which V8 Supercars have contested the premier Australian touring car title...
season with sponsorship from Rock Energy Drinks. Bargwanna was previously with Tasman Motorsport
Tasman Motorsport
Tasman Motorsport was a V8 Supercar racing team. It was formed in 2004 out of what was Lansvale Racing Team V8 Supercar team and is associated with Greg Murphy Racing as a satellite operation....
, a team which had just announced that it would close at the end of the 2009 season. Tony Ricciardello would take over the #16 car, first with Supermaxx sponsorship before Stratco became the major sponsor for the #16 car. Todd and Rick Kelly continued driving cars #7 and #15 with Jack Daniel's Sponsorship.
Rick took the team's first pole position at Winton
2010 Winton V8 Supercar Event
The 2010 Winton V8 Supercar Event was the sixth race meeting of the 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series. It contained Races 11 and 12 of the series and was held on the weekend of May 15–16 at Winton Motor Raceway, near Benalla, in rural Victoria....
but did not manage a win. Only one podium result came out of 2010, Rick finishing third in the rain-affected first race of the Sydney 500.
For the endurance races, Rick and Todd were not allowed to pair up due to new regulations regarding endurance co-drivers. Owen Kelly, of no relation to the two brothers, would join Rick in the #15 car while Dale Wood drove with Todd. Ricciardello was partnered by Taz Douglas
Taz Douglas
Taz Douglas is a part-time Australian race driver.Douglas was born in Frankston, Victoria, Australia. Having scored numerous karting titles in his junior years - including the Ford Kart Stars Series in 2000 - Taz Douglas took time out from motor racing in 2003 and 2004 to pursue his other passion,...
while two-time Australian touring car
Australian Touring Car Championship
The Australian Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing award held in Australia since 1960. The series itself is no longer contested, but the title lives on, with the winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series awarded the trophy and title of Australian Touring Car Champion.-History:The...
champion Glenn Seton
Glenn Seton
Glenn Seton is an Australian racing driver.Seton, father of Courtney and Aaron Seton and husband to Jayne Seton, retired from full time racing after the 2005 V8 Supercar season, and is only one of five drivers to have competed in over 200 rounds in the series. The other drivers are Dick Johnson ,...
partnered Bargwanna. Rick and Owen had a strong run at the L&H 500
2010 L&H 500
The 2010 L&H 500 was the ninth event of the 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series. It was held on the weekend of 10 to 12 September at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in Victoria, Australia...
, finishing fourth after needing to conserve fuel at the end of the race, while the other three cars all finished outside the top fifteen. The team had a disappointing Bathurst, with none of the cars finishing in the top ten, the best result 16th place for Rick and Owen.
The team hired Scott Dixon
Scott Dixon
Scott Ronald Dixon, MNZM is a New Zealand motor racer who became the most successful all-time driver in the Indy Racing League championship in the United States when he won the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio in August 2009. This took his total to 21 wins...
and Alex Tagliani
Alex Tagliani
Alexandre Tagliani is a Canadian auto racing driver from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He currently competes in the IZOD IndyCar Series, driving the #77 entry for Sam Schmidt Motorsports.-Champ Car career:...
as its international drivers for the Gold Coast 600
2010 Armor All Gold Coast 600
The 2010 Armor All Gold Coast 600 is the eleventh event of the 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series. It was held on the weekend of the 22 to 24 October at the Surfers Paradise Street Circuit in Queensland...
, Dixon driving with Todd Kelly and Tagliani with Bargwanna. Owen Kelly remained with Rick and Wood moved into the #16 car with Ricciardello. It proved to be another average weekend, with Rick and Owen again providing the best result, a sixth place in race two.
The final championship standings saw Rick and Todd repeat their 2009 efforts, finishing eighth and 18th respectively. Bargwanna ended up 24th and Ricciardello was 26th. Jack Daniel's Racing was fifth in the teams' championship and Kelly Racing was 11th.
2011
The Jack Daniel's Racing drivers remained the same for 2011, but two new drivers were hired for Kelly Racing. Greg Murphy slotted into the #11 car, the first time he hadn't used the #51 since 2000, with Pepsi Max backing. and David ReynoldsDavid Reynolds (racing driver)
David Reynolds is an Australian racing driver.-Twice champion:Reynolds stepped into a national series campaign in the 2003 Australian Formula Ford Championship, finishing outside the top ten at series end. For 2004 Reynolds joined the Sonic Motor Racing Services for what would be four years and...
drove the #16 car with continued sponsorship from Stratco after missing out on a full time drive in 2010.
2011
2011 International V8 Supercars Championship
The 2011 International V8 Supercar Championship is an FIA sanctioned international motor racing series for V8 Supercars. It is the thirteenth V8 Supercar Championship Series and the fifteenth series in which V8 Supercars have contested the premier Australian touring car title. It is the first since...
has been the team's most successful season to date. Rick Kelly scored the team's first race win in wet conditions at the Hamilton 400
2011 ITM Hamilton 400
The 2011 ITM Hamilton 400 was a motor race for the Australian sedan-based V8 Supercars. It was the third event of the 2011 International V8 Supercars Championship. It was held on the weekend of 15–17 April at the Hamilton Street Circuit, in Hamilton, New Zealand. It was the fourth running of the...
.. Todd made it an extra special day by finishing in third place despite having a broken windscreen wiper. After 18 races, Rick sits fourth in the points standing with two race wins and a pole position and each of the four drivers has scored a top six race result. Reynolds has impressed on his return to V8 Supercars, with numerous top ten qualifying efforts and two top five race results.
For the endurance races, the team has signed David Russell, Allan Simonsen
Allan Simonsen (racing driver)
Allan Simonsen is a Danish racing driver.-Career highlights:*Le Mans Series*FIA GT3 European Championship*FIA GT Championship*British GT*Australian GT Championship-24 Hours of Le Mans results:-External links:*...
, Owen Kelly and Tim Blanchard
Tim Blanchard
Tim Blanchard is an Australian championship-winning motor racing driver. Blanchard has been a race winning driver in several motor racing series, including racing in Europe, as well as winning the 2007 Australian Formula Ford Championship.Blanchard presently races in the Fujitsu V8 Supercar...
to drive with Todd, Murphy, Rick and Reynolds respectively at the L&H 500
Phillip Island 500K
The Phillip Island 500K is an endurance motor race held at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in Victoria, Australia. It has been contested each year from 1971 to 1977 and from 2008 to date....
and the Bathurst 1000
Bathurst 1000
The Bathurst 1000 is a touring car race held annually at Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia...
. For the Gold Coast 600, the team has signed Richard Westbrook
Richard Westbrook
Richard Westbrook is an English racing driver from Islington in London notable for his success in racing Porsche cars. As a boy he attended St Joseph's College, Ipswich...
, Oliver Gavin
Oliver Gavin
Oliver Benjamin Gavin , is a GM factory racing driver from the United Kingdom. He was raised in the village of Felmersham, Bedfordshire. He attended the local Primary school, Pinchmill. At age nine he attended Lincroft Middle School and then took his GCSEs and A-levels at Sharnbrook Upper School...
, Jörg Bergmeister
Jörg Bergmeister
Jörg Bergmeister is a race car driver from Germany.His father, Willi Bergmeister, owns a workshop and dealership where Michael Schumacher learned his trade as a car mechanic in the 1980s....
and Alex Tagliani
Alex Tagliani
Alexandre Tagliani is a Canadian auto racing driver from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He currently competes in the IZOD IndyCar Series, driving the #77 entry for Sam Schmidt Motorsports.-Champ Car career:...
.
Team Structure
ToddTodd Kelly
Todd Kelly is a V8 Supercar racing driver, currently living in Melbourne, Victoria. He is the older brother of former V8 Supercar and Bathurst 1000 champion, Rick Kelly. He drove for the Holden Racing Team from 2003 until 2007, and Jack Daniel's Racing in 2008...
and Rick Kelly
Rick Kelly
Rick Kelly is a current V8 Supercar racing driver, currently living in Melbourne, Victoria. He is the younger brother of former Bathurst 1000 champion, Todd Kelly...
race under the Jack Daniel's Racing banner as one half of the Kelly Racing outfit, driving cars #7 and #15. The Jack Daniel's sponsorship moved across to the team from Perkins Engineering, the team that Todd drove for in 2008. Todd and Rick Kelly have driven the Jack Daniel's cars in all years that Kelly Racing has been competing in the championship.
The second half of the four-car Kelly Racing outfit uses the Kelly Racing name and has been less successful than the other half of the team. Jack Perkins
Jack Perkins
Jack Perkins is an American reporter, commentator, war correspondent, and anchorman. He has been dubbed "America's most literate correspondent" by the Associated Press....
and Dale Wood
Dale Wood (racing driver)
Dale Wood is a V8 Supercar racing driver, currently living in Melbourne, Victoria. He commenced his full time V8 Supercar career in 2009 with the newly formed team Kelly Racing team, having raced previously for the Tasman Motorsport aligned Greg Murphy Racing Fujitsu series squad...
were the original drivers for the team in 2009, racing cars #11 and #16 respectively, with backing from Dodo and Hi-Tec Oils. Wood was replaced by Mark McNally
Mark McNally (racing driver)
Mark McNally is an Australian racing driver. He made his V8 Supercar debut at the 2009 Dunlop Townsville 400.-Career:...
during the season. For 2010, Jason Bargwanna
Jason Bargwanna
Jason Bargwanna is an Australian racing driver who competes in the V8 Supercar Championship Series.-Career history:Bargwanna commenced his racing career in the late 1980s, initially competing in the Formula Vee category...
drove car #11 with backing from Rock Energy Drinks and Tony Ricciardello
Tony Ricciardello
Tony Ricciardello, , is a multiple-championship winning Australian race car driver.Son of Sports Sedan racer and team owner Basil Ricciardello, Tony was brought up into the Western Australian racing scene...
drove car #16 with Stratco sponsorship. Greg Murphy
Greg Murphy
Greg Murphy is a racing driver, best known as a four-time winner of the Bathurst 1000. Greg Murphy joined Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond presenting Top Gear, when it had its first international Live show at ASB Showgrounds in Auckland from February 12 - 15th 2009, and again when the show...
and Pepsi Max
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
replaced Bargwanna and Rock Energy for 2011 while David Reynolds
David Reynolds (racing driver)
David Reynolds is an Australian racing driver.-Twice champion:Reynolds stepped into a national series campaign in the 2003 Australian Formula Ford Championship, finishing outside the top ten at series end. For 2004 Reynolds joined the Sonic Motor Racing Services for what would be four years and...
drove the #16 car with continued backing from Stratco.
Management
Joe Bremner, formerly the team manager of Jack Daniel's Racing in its Perkins Engineering guise, has been named as the team manager of the Jack Daniel's Racing half of the combined Kelly Racing team, while Barry Ryan has been named as the engineer of the #7, with David Swenson filling the same role on the #15 car. Bremner has gone on record as saying he believes the team can win within its first year.Matthew House has been named as the team manager of the Dodo Racing / Hi-Tec Oils Racing half of the combined Kelly Racing team, and while Barry Jones was initially named as the engineer of the #11 car, he was later replaced with Mike Gennery, and later still by James Small. Oscar Fiorinotto was named as the engineer of the #16 car.
Later still, following the resignation of Joe Bremner to pursue other interests, a management restructure took place, including further changes to engineering positions. Matthew House moved from the team manager position for the #11 and #16 cars, to take over the role previously filled by Bremner for the #7 and #15 cars. James Small, who had recently taken up the position of engineer for the #11 car, moved across to take over the engineering role on Todd Kelly's #7 car, with the previous engineer of this car, Barry Ryan, taking over the team manager role for the #11 and #16 cars, vacated by House. The new engineer for the #11 car was named as Stewart McDonald, who joined the team from Tasman Motorsport, which had announced it was shutting down operations at the end of 2009.
Perkins Engineering
Perkins Engineering, having wound back its own involvement as a competing team in the championship at the end of 2008, maintains a presence by becoming the major engineering facility for the team. The two V8 Supercar franchises owned by Larry PerkinsLarry Perkins
Larry Clifton Perkins is a former racing driver and V8 Supercar team owner from Australia.-Career:...
in turn formed the second half of the Kelly Racing team. Perkins Engineering will be responsible for heavy engineering work, particularly in the construction of racing chassis for the team.
Full Time Drivers
The following drivers have been full time drivers for Kelly Racing:- Todd KellyTodd KellyTodd Kelly is a V8 Supercar racing driver, currently living in Melbourne, Victoria. He is the older brother of former V8 Supercar and Bathurst 1000 champion, Rick Kelly. He drove for the Holden Racing Team from 2003 until 2007, and Jack Daniel's Racing in 2008...
- 2009 till present - Rick KellyRick KellyRick Kelly is a current V8 Supercar racing driver, currently living in Melbourne, Victoria. He is the younger brother of former Bathurst 1000 champion, Todd Kelly...
- 2009 till present - David ReynoldsDavid Reynolds (racing driver)David Reynolds is an Australian racing driver.-Twice champion:Reynolds stepped into a national series campaign in the 2003 Australian Formula Ford Championship, finishing outside the top ten at series end. For 2004 Reynolds joined the Sonic Motor Racing Services for what would be four years and...
- 2011 till present - Greg MurphyGreg MurphyGreg Murphy is a racing driver, best known as a four-time winner of the Bathurst 1000. Greg Murphy joined Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond presenting Top Gear, when it had its first international Live show at ASB Showgrounds in Auckland from February 12 - 15th 2009, and again when the show...
- 2011 till present - Jason BargwannaJason BargwannaJason Bargwanna is an Australian racing driver who competes in the V8 Supercar Championship Series.-Career history:Bargwanna commenced his racing career in the late 1980s, initially competing in the Formula Vee category...
- 2010 - Tony RicciardelloTony RicciardelloTony Ricciardello, , is a multiple-championship winning Australian race car driver.Son of Sports Sedan racer and team owner Basil Ricciardello, Tony was brought up into the Western Australian racing scene...
- 2010 - Jack PerkinsJack Perkins (racing driver)Jack 'Perko' Perkins is an Australian V8 Supercar driver for James Rosenberg Racing in the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series. He is the son of Australian motor racing legend Larry Perkins, in whose team Perkins Engineering, he drove between 2006 and 2008...
- 2009 - Dale WoodDale Wood (racing driver)Dale Wood is a V8 Supercar racing driver, currently living in Melbourne, Victoria. He commenced his full time V8 Supercar career in 2009 with the newly formed team Kelly Racing team, having raced previously for the Tasman Motorsport aligned Greg Murphy Racing Fujitsu series squad...
- 2009 - Mark McNallyMark McNally (racing driver)Mark McNally is an Australian racing driver. He made his V8 Supercar debut at the 2009 Dunlop Townsville 400.-Career:...
- 2009
Endurance Race Only Drivers
- Owen Kelly - 2010 till present
- Allan SimonsenAllan Simonsen (racing driver)Allan Simonsen is a Danish racing driver.-Career highlights:*Le Mans Series*FIA GT3 European Championship*FIA GT Championship*British GT*Australian GT Championship-24 Hours of Le Mans results:-External links:*...
- 2011 till present - David Russell - 2011 till present
- Tim BlanchardTim BlanchardTim Blanchard is an Australian championship-winning motor racing driver. Blanchard has been a race winning driver in several motor racing series, including racing in Europe, as well as winning the 2007 Australian Formula Ford Championship.Blanchard presently races in the Fujitsu V8 Supercar...
- 2011 till present - Nathan Pretty - 2009
- Ben Collins - 2009
- Tony RicciardelloTony RicciardelloTony Ricciardello, , is a multiple-championship winning Australian race car driver.Son of Sports Sedan racer and team owner Basil Ricciardello, Tony was brought up into the Western Australian racing scene...
- 2009 - Glenn SetonGlenn SetonGlenn Seton is an Australian racing driver.Seton, father of Courtney and Aaron Seton and husband to Jayne Seton, retired from full time racing after the 2005 V8 Supercar season, and is only one of five drivers to have competed in over 200 rounds in the series. The other drivers are Dick Johnson ,...
- 2010 - Scott DixonScott DixonScott Ronald Dixon, MNZM is a New Zealand motor racer who became the most successful all-time driver in the Indy Racing League championship in the United States when he won the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio in August 2009. This took his total to 21 wins...
- 2010 - Alex TaglianiAlex TaglianiAlexandre Tagliani is a Canadian auto racing driver from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He currently competes in the IZOD IndyCar Series, driving the #77 entry for Sam Schmidt Motorsports.-Champ Car career:...
- 2010 - Taz DouglasTaz DouglasTaz Douglas is a part-time Australian race driver.Douglas was born in Frankston, Victoria, Australia. Having scored numerous karting titles in his junior years - including the Ford Kart Stars Series in 2000 - Taz Douglas took time out from motor racing in 2003 and 2004 to pursue his other passion,...
- 2010