Rick Kelly (born 17 January 1983) is an Australian professional racing driver who previously competed in the
Supercars Championship
The Supercars Championship, also known as the Repco Supercars Championship under sponsorship and historically as V8 Supercars, is a touring car racing category in Australia and New Zealand, running as an International Series under Fédération I ...
. He last drove the No. 15
Ford Mustang GT for
Kelly Racing. Previously, he drove for the
HSV Dealer Team with whom he won the
Bathurst 1000
The Bathurst 1000 (known for sponsorship reasons as the Repco Bathurst 1000) is a Touring car racing, touring car race held annually on the Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. It is currently run as part of the Supe ...
alongside
Greg Murphy in
2003
2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater.
In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War.
Demographic ...
and
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
. In 2006, Kelly extended his success by winning the
V8 Supercar Championship for the HSV Dealer Team. His older brother
Todd Kelly
Todd Evan Kelly (born 9 October 1979) is a retired Australian professional racing driver who competed in the Supercars Championship, Virgin Australia Supercars Championship. He is the older brother of fellow Supercars driver and former Bathurst ...
was also a racing driver who won the
Bathurst 1000
The Bathurst 1000 (known for sponsorship reasons as the Repco Bathurst 1000) is a Touring car racing, touring car race held annually on the Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. It is currently run as part of the Supe ...
in
2005
2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
. His parents John and Margaret Kelly formed
Kelly Racing in 2009 with Rick and Todd Kelly as lead drivers, expanding to a 4 car operation.
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), or scoring a pole position in any individual race, Kelly entered the final round of the series at
Phillip Island
Phillip Island (Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung: ''Corriong'', ''Worne'' or ''Millowl'') is an Australian island about south-southeast of Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria. The island is named after Arthur Phillip, Governor Arthur P ...
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
Todd Evan Kelly (born 9 October 1979) is a retired Australian professional racing driver who competed in the Supercars Championship, Virgin Australia Supercars Championship. He is the older brother of fellow Supercars driver and former Bathurst ...
. Damage to Lowndes’s car resulted in him finishing 29th, whereas Rick Kelly finished 18th and was awarded the series title despite not having won a single round.
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 singers
Kate Ceberano
Catherine Yvette Ceberano ( or , born 17 November 1966) is an Australian singer and actress who performs in the rock, soul, jazz and pop genres, as well as in film and musicals such as '' Jesus Christ Superstar''. Her single " Bedroom Eyes" re ...
,
Jon Stevens
Jon Stevens (born 8 October 1961) is a New Zealand singer, best known as the lead singer of the band Noiseworks in 1986–1992, the portrayal of Judas in a 1992 Australian production of '' Jesus Christ Superstar'', and as the lead singer fo ...
, and
Sia. Kelly not only appears on the campaign's website, but he has also promoted the campaign on his
Twitter
Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
account.
Career results
Career summary
Supercars Championship results
Complete Bathurst 1000 results
References
External links
Official Rick Kelly Website
Rick Kelly Nissan Motorsport ProfileRick Kellyon Supercars Official
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Rick
1983 births
Bathurst 1000 winners
Formula Ford drivers
Formula Holden drivers
Living people
Sportspeople from Mildura
Racing drivers from Victoria (state)
Supercars Championship drivers
R-Motorsport drivers
Kelly Racing drivers
Nismo drivers
Aston Martin Racing drivers