Todd Kelly - 100th anniversary
August 13th 2007 14:59
Holden Racing Team #22, Todd Kelly, has become the youngest driver to celebrate his 100th anniversary; 100 V8 championship rounds. And he will do it this weekend during the Jim Beam 400 at Sydney’s Oran Park.
Todd Kelly, team mate of round win record holder Mark Skaife, replaces Garth Tander as youngest centenarian driver by two and a half years including, eight round wins and 25 podium results on his impressive journey.
“It’s quality, not quantity, as far as I’m concerned,” Kelly said.
“My goal is not necessarily to reach 200 or anything like that, but to score a few more Bathurst wins and maybe a championship or two along the way.”
It was during his stint as a Formula Ford driver in 1997, when Todd received a phone call out of the blue from Jeff Grech, then Holden Racing Team boss, now Tasman Motorsport boss, asking him to join the new Holden Young Lions team. Todd’s father, John, answered the phone, just to slam it down in Jeff Grech’s ear.
“John thought I was one of his mates having him on and I had to ring back and persuade him I was fair dinkum,” said Grech.
“Todd turned out to be the pick of the bunch and has proved to be an outstanding talent.”
Todd’s first race was … well … memorable to say the least. At the 1999 Grand Prix, the V8s were acting as a support race when the seventeen year old Kelly ended up in the fence, outdone by veteran Tony Longhurst on the first lap.
“My first V8 race lasted one corner and cost the team $40,000 in damages – I won’t forget that in a hurry!” Kelly said.
Todd’s love affair with race track barriers continued when he crashed into a wall at Eastern Creek Raceway at 197km/h after a deflated tyre put him out of his first championship race in 1999’s opening round of the V8 Supercar series.
“It was a large hit that totally destroyed the car and I won’t forget that either,” Todd said.
Things did get better for Todd and a move to K-Mart Racing in 2001 proved beneficial to the young Mildura-ite. His move to the Holden Racing Team continued the good fortune for both the team and Kelly.
“A highlight for me was my first race win at Canberra in 2000 on a very demanding circuit holding off a very determined Craig Lowndes. I guess it proved I could race with the best of them,” Todd stated.
“My ambition as a young bloke was always to race for Holden Racing Team as I enjoyed the way they used to hose the opposition. That happened in 2003 and has delivered a couple of great memories – like winning Bathurst in 2005 with Mark Skaife on my 26th birthday. In fact, he said ‘Happy Birthday Toddler’ over the radio on his last lap. Winning in China was an awesome experience at an unbelievable circuit in a country where the V8’s will probably not visit again, so it’s one for the record book.”
Mark Skaife now boss of the dominant Holden Racing Team, is very supportive of the influence Todd Kelly has had on the Holden Racing Team.
“He’s a very bright young guy who has done a great job to get where he is today – one of the top liners in the sport. It’s a real pleasure to have him around at HRT,” Skaife said.
(Well said Skaifey).
In a recent poll undertaken by V8 Supercar drivers, Todd Kelly was voted the most underrated driver; a positive acknowledgement from his peers who named Paul Morris (Sirromet Wines) as the most dangerous driver and Garth Tander (Toll HSV Dealer team) as the best.
Todd is pretty sanguine about the results, “this year HRT probably had its worst round ever at Winton and I personally felt I’d done a bad job in a really good car,” he said. “Three weeks later we’ve scored a one/two finish at Eastern Creek in our best
dual result for five years - that’s Supercar racing!”
“As a driver, I’m not really into the business of getting my head onto TV every five minutes. What gets me going is the engineering, equipment and racing side of things – that’s what it’s really all about.”
And what about brother Rick, Tander’s team mate and current championship holder?
“It’s worked out well so far;” Todd concedes, “if Rick and I teamed together with Dad as team owner it could put extreme pressure on the family relationship and with us Kellys the family always comes first.”
Image of Todd's car courtesy of Martin Pot, used with permission
"Did I win?"
“It’s quality, not quantity, as far as I’m concerned,” Kelly said.
“My goal is not necessarily to reach 200 or anything like that, but to score a few more Bathurst wins and maybe a championship or two along the way.”
It was during his stint as a Formula Ford driver in 1997, when Todd received a phone call out of the blue from Jeff Grech, then Holden Racing Team boss, now Tasman Motorsport boss, asking him to join the new Holden Young Lions team. Todd’s father, John, answered the phone, just to slam it down in Jeff Grech’s ear.
“John thought I was one of his mates having him on and I had to ring back and persuade him I was fair dinkum,” said Grech.
“Todd turned out to be the pick of the bunch and has proved to be an outstanding talent.”
Todd’s first race was … well … memorable to say the least. At the 1999 Grand Prix, the V8s were acting as a support race when the seventeen year old Kelly ended up in the fence, outdone by veteran Tony Longhurst on the first lap.
“My first V8 race lasted one corner and cost the team $40,000 in damages – I won’t forget that in a hurry!” Kelly said.
Todd’s love affair with race track barriers continued when he crashed into a wall at Eastern Creek Raceway at 197km/h after a deflated tyre put him out of his first championship race in 1999’s opening round of the V8 Supercar series.
“It was a large hit that totally destroyed the car and I won’t forget that either,” Todd said.
Things did get better for Todd and a move to K-Mart Racing in 2001 proved beneficial to the young Mildura-ite. His move to the Holden Racing Team continued the good fortune for both the team and Kelly.
“A highlight for me was my first race win at Canberra in 2000 on a very demanding circuit holding off a very determined Craig Lowndes. I guess it proved I could race with the best of them,” Todd stated.
“My ambition as a young bloke was always to race for Holden Racing Team as I enjoyed the way they used to hose the opposition. That happened in 2003 and has delivered a couple of great memories – like winning Bathurst in 2005 with Mark Skaife on my 26th birthday. In fact, he said ‘Happy Birthday Toddler’ over the radio on his last lap. Winning in China was an awesome experience at an unbelievable circuit in a country where the V8’s will probably not visit again, so it’s one for the record book.”
Mark Skaife now boss of the dominant Holden Racing Team, is very supportive of the influence Todd Kelly has had on the Holden Racing Team.
“He’s a very bright young guy who has done a great job to get where he is today – one of the top liners in the sport. It’s a real pleasure to have him around at HRT,” Skaife said.
(Well said Skaifey).
Hang on ... who hid the track?
In a recent poll undertaken by V8 Supercar drivers, Todd Kelly was voted the most underrated driver; a positive acknowledgement from his peers who named Paul Morris (Sirromet Wines) as the most dangerous driver and Garth Tander (Toll HSV Dealer team) as the best.
Todd is pretty sanguine about the results, “this year HRT probably had its worst round ever at Winton and I personally felt I’d done a bad job in a really good car,” he said. “Three weeks later we’ve scored a one/two finish at Eastern Creek in our best
dual result for five years - that’s Supercar racing!”
“As a driver, I’m not really into the business of getting my head onto TV every five minutes. What gets me going is the engineering, equipment and racing side of things – that’s what it’s really all about.”
And what about brother Rick, Tander’s team mate and current championship holder?
“It’s worked out well so far;” Todd concedes, “if Rick and I teamed together with Dad as team owner it could put extreme pressure on the family relationship and with us Kellys the family always comes first.”
Image of Todd's car courtesy of Martin Pot, used with permission
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Comment by DuskDevi
Rugby World Cup 2007
Yeah, yeah...I know...who am I to talk? Stephen signs his name and I think he could be a best selling author.
Good for Todd.
How are you hon?...packing and sorting going well?
Dusk