Rick Kelly

Rick Kelly
Rick Kelly signing autographs in 2009.
Nationality	Australian
V8 Supercar Record
Car number	15
Current team	Nissan Motorsport
Series championships	1 (2006)
Races	401
Race wins	12
Podium finishes	51
Pole positions	7
2014 Championship position	13th (1921 pts)

Rick Kelly (born 17 January 1983 in Mildura, Victoria, Australia) is a current V8 Supercar racing driver, currently living in Melbourne, Victoria. He is the younger brother of former Bathurst 1000 winner, Todd Kelly. He previously drove for the HSV Dealer Team and has previously contributed to winning at the Bathurst 1000 alongside Greg Murphy in 2003 and 2004 under the banner of Kmart Racing.^[1] Kelly was the 2006 V8 Supercar Champion for the HSV Dealer Team.^[2] He moved to the new formed family team Kelly Racing for 2009 and onwards.^[3]

2006 Supercar Championship

In 2006, Kelly won the Australian V8 Supercar Championship Series after being one of the most consistent performers throughout the season. The victory, however, was not without its share of controversy.

Despite not winning a single round overall (though he did win an individual race), Kelly entered the final round of the series at Phillip Island seven points ahead of his nearest competitor, Craig Lowndes, (who had won four rounds) due to consistent high points finishes in all twelve of the previous 2006 rounds.

Coming into the third and final race of the round, Lowndes had managed to pull back the deficit to be even on points with Kelly, meaning that the driver out of the two who finished first would clinch the championship. Two laps into the final race, Kelly collided with Lowndes, who then slid into Todd Kelly. Damage to Lowndes car resulted in him finishing 29th, whereas Rick Kelly finished 18th and was awarded the series title despite not having won a single round.^[4][5]

Career results

• 

  Kelly placed 14th in the 2012 V8 Supercars Championship driving a Holden VE Commodore

• 

  Kelly placed 14th in the 2013 V8 Supercars Championship driving a Nissan L33 Altima

• 

  Kelly placed 13th in the 2014 V8 Supercars Championship driving a Nissan L33 Altima

Charitable work

Kelly has joined other publicly known figures in support of the "Oscar's Law" campaign, a protest against the factory farming of companion animals. The campaign is named after a neglected dog found in central Victoria, Australia, and was launched in 2010. The list of supporters includes Kate Ceberano (singer), Jon Stevens (singer) and Sia (musician).^[6] Kelly not only appears on the campaign's website, but he has also promoted the campaign on his Twitter account.^[7]

References

External links

• Official Rick Kelly Website
• Rick Kelly Kelly Racing Profile
• Rick Kelly Holden Motor Sport Profile
• Rick Kelly V8 Supercars Official Profile