Rick Kelly Retires from Full Time Driving
October 2020.
Hi to all you Supercars Fans around the world!
Rick Kelly was born on the 17th of January 1983.
Rick Kelly started racing in the Australian Formula Ford Championship in 2000 followed by the Australian Drivers Championship in 2001.
Now hang on! Let me do my calculation: (Professional driver:2000. Born:1983) that would make him 17!!! Really? Ok so we got this kid behind the wheel. People are taking him seriously. He must be good.
In 2001 he made his debut in the Shell Championship Series at the VIP Petfoods Queensland 500 with co-driver Nathan Pretty with the Kmart Racing Team. Rick was behind the wheel on the grid, rearing to go. Unfortunately, due to mechanical problems the car had to be pushed off the track before they even started. It didn’t hold Rick back.
In 2002 he moved to the Holden Racing Team driving car 02. He performed admirably; at one stage leading the Bathurst 1000 and had the circumstances been slightly different he could have won his first Bathurst at the age of 19!!!! Not a problem for a Kelly. It was only one year later, driving for the K-Mart Racing Team in 2003 that he took the Bathurst 1000 trophy.
When Rick Kelly rejoined Kmart Racing Team in 2003 he was co-driver to (already legend) Greg Murphy for the Enduro’s. It’s agiven that being co-driver to a legend like Murphy is a great honour but it also states clearly what they thought of Kelly.
In 2004 Rick Kelly stayed with Kmart racing and started on pole position for the 2004 Sandown 500.
In 2005 Rick Kelly drove for the HSV Dealer Team driving in car number 15. Again he started on pole position for the Sandown 500.
In 2006 and 2007 Rick Kelly drove for the Toll HSV Dealer Team.
He won the 2006 Supercars Championship and got to run the 2007series with the coveted 01 number on his car.
In 2009 the Kelly boys (brother Todd) started their own team, Kelly Racing which they both own to this day.
Rick Kelly is a 2 times Bathurst 1000 winner and a Supercars Champion.
I met Rick Kelly a in 2017 at Homebush. He was a great guy to meet. I also met him at some other race events and he was consistently nice.
So, from me (and Im sure a great many others) congrats on your outstanding 19 year Supercars career. Good luck for the future.
Whoever will replace Rick on the track for Kelly Racing in 2021 will be in good hands and should be honoured.
Results for Rick kelly’s career:
1st 2001 Sandown race 2.
1st 2003 Bathurst 1000.
1st 2004 Bathurst 1000.
1st 2004 round 2 Eastern Creek.
2nd 2006 Clipsal 500 Race 1 & 3rd in Race 2.
1st 2007 Clipsal 500 Race 2. (His brother Todd won the first race).
1st 2011 Hamilton Race 5.
Rick Kelly co-drivers over the years:
Nathan Pretty 2001 and 2002
Greg Murphy 2002, 2003 and 2004
Garth Tander 2005
Todd Kelly (Bother) 2006
Garth Tander 2007
Paul Radisch 2008 (who crashed car 15) so Rick drove with Paul Dumbrell in car 16.
Todd Kelly2009
Owen Kelly 2010
Owen Kelly 2011
David Russell 2012
Karl Reindler 2013
David Russell 2014
David Russell 2015
Russell Ingall 2016
David Wall 2017
Dale Wood 2018
Dale Wood 2019
Dale Wood 2020
Karl Relindler 2013