JACK DANIEL'S RACING QUOTEBOARD:
RICK KELLY - #15 Jack Daniel's Holden Commodore
"The Clipsal 500 is the most prestigious single driver event in our championship without a doubt, and second only to Bathurst overall," said Rick Kelly.
"To win Clipsal a few years back was an unbelievable feeling. It's such a massive event and such a tough race to conquer.
"It's such a tough race that it is a real 'driver' race. You can have a great car but if you are not fit enough to last the distance you will not win, and even the slightest mistake can end your day.
"And on the other side of the coin, if your car is not 100 percent perfect you can still man-handle it around and drag it up to the front.
"Our whole team has worked hard on fitness over summer so I think we are in a good position there. Hopefully that shows in our results and our pace, especially in the second half of both races.
"Adelaide is just a massive event and seeing that huge crowd lining the pit straight gives you a massive buzz as a driver.
"It's the toughest event we do so preparation in all areas is crucial. We had a very positive test day last Monday at Winton and I was pleased with the improvements we made to my Jack Daniel's Commodore so I'm looking forward to the weekend."
TODD KELLY - #7 Jack Daniel's Holden Commodore
Q & A with Todd Kelly ahead of his 150th V8 Supercars event ...
QUESTION: Milestones like this tend to creep up on you. What comes into your head when you realise that you are entering your 150th V8 Supercars event?
"I'm only just starting to figure it out and get my head around it," said Todd Kelly.
"I've had a lot of races in a lot of different scenarios. As a Young Lion getting into it, then with the Kmart team, then the factory team and now our own team and Jack Daniel's Racing, so over the 150 starts I've been fortunate enough to have a little bit of everything.
"It's been good but I'm not really fussed about the number. I seriously feel that we are starting to get our head around a lot of things, like the way the cars have to be set-up now and how you have to drive them.
"I feel like there is a fair bit left in me. Another 150 or so would be nice."
QUESTION: Is your involvement with the technical side of things a big motivator for you at the moment?
"Yeah that's what it's all about. That's what makes the car go fast, all that engineering and then being able to drive it.
"We've got some really good engineers in the team now and I'm really enjoying that side of it. To go to a test day and put theory into practice and make improvements is probably the most enjoyable part of what we do."
QUESTION: Some drivers can tell you every statistic they have to their name while others don't really keep track of it. Which one are you?
"I don't really worry about it. Obviously the only reason we do this is to be successful so when I've had race wins, pole positions and things like that I obviously remember.
"But once those boxes are ticked and you get a pole or a win, a lot of people will hang their hat off that for six months where for me that's fallen out the other end of my brain by the next morning and I turn to working on how to do it again.
"So I'm 99 percent looking forwards, and not really one that's into looking backwards just yet."
QUESTION: Both you and Rick started your careers at a young age. So you are not that old but have still amassed a lot of starts as well as some great achievements. Does it surprise you when you see your name mentioned with some of the greats of the sport in the record books?
"Yeah it does. A lot of the time we've been lucky to be in good teams, but at the same time to get statistics these days like they used to in the old days is bloody hard. I remember when you could have a bad round and you would be fifth. These days if you have a bad round and you don't quite nail the car set-up you are 25th.
"To win a race is harder than I've ever seen it and you can see by the caliber of guys that are consistently in that space between 10th and 15th trying to crack a top 10 that to keep clocking up the poles and race wins is a lot harder than it used to be."
TODD KELLY – Career Statistics:
Date of Birth: 9 October 1979
Highlights:
- 2005 Bathurst 1000 winner
- 2003 Bathurst 24 Hour winner
- 2003 Sandown 500 winner
Event Starts: 149 (150th in Adelaide)
Race Wins: 19
Podiums: 26
Poles: 6
KEY FACTS:
- 2007 Clipsal 500 a career highlight for both Kelly brothers ...
* The Kelly brothers dominated the 2007 Clipsal 500 with Todd and Rick Kelly taking a win each
* Todd won the Saturday race as Rick finished in fourth
* On Sunday it was Rick who took victory with Todd just behind in second place
* Todd scored the most points for the weekend but as the Clipsal 500 is decided by the winner of the Sunday race it was Rick who took home the biggest trophy
* Rick's Clipsal 500 win came in his first event carrying the coveted number one following his V8 Supercars Championship victory in 2006
* Rick Kelly also has a previous pole position at the Clipsal 500, setting the fastest time in the Top 10 Shootout in 2005
- Todd and Rick Kelly in a select class in Adelaide ...
* Todd and Rick Kelly are two of only six active drivers with race wins at the Clipsal 500
* The brothers have one race win each, with Todd winning the Saturday race in 2007 and Rick the Sunday race that same year
* The other four active drivers to take the chequered flag first in a race at the Clipsal 500 are all fellow Holden drivers in Craig Lowndes, Jamie Whincup, Garth Tander and Jason Bright
JACK DANIEL'S RACING DRIVERS AT CLIPSAL 500
Todd Kelly - #7 Jack Daniel's Holden Commodore:
2009 Saturday Qualifying: 11th
2009 Saturday Race: 13th
2009 Sunday Qualifying: 22nd
2009 Sunday Race: 12th
Event Debut: 2000
Events: 11
Races: 22
Best Qualifying: Second (2006)
Top 10 in Qualifying: Four
Best Race Finish: First (Race 1 – 2007)
Top 10 Finish in Race: 11
Event Podium – Second in 2007
Rick Kelly - #15 Jack Daniel's Holden Commodore:
2009 Saturday Qualifying: 15th
2009 Saturday Race: 23rd
2009 Sunday Qualifying: Sixth
2009 Sunday Race: Sixth
Event Debut: 2002
Events: Nine
Races: 17 (DNS Race 2 – 2002)
Best Qualifying: Pole (2005)
Top 10 in Qualifying: Three
Best Race Finish: First (Race 2 - 2007)
Top 10 Finish in Race: 11
Event Winner – 2007
2011 V8 Supercars Championship
Drivers Points Standings after Race 2 of 27
1. Jamie Whincup 279
2. Alex Davison 234
3. Shane Van Gisbergen 210
4. Mark Winterbottom 192
5. David Reynolds 174
6. Michael Caruso 171
7. Fabian Coulthard 150
8. Jonathon Webb 147
9. Craig Lowndes 138
10. Jason Bright 138
14. Greg Murphy 126
18. Rick Kelly 114
24. Todd Kelly 78
2011 V8 Supercars Championship
Teams Points Standings after Race 2 of 27
1. Stone Brothers Racing 444
2. Team Vodafone 417
3. Ford Performance Racing 318
4. Kelly Racing 204
5. Fujitsu Racing GRM 294
6. Toll Holden Racing Team 279
7. Brad Jones Racing 255
8. Jack Daniel's Racing 192
9. Dick Johnson Racing 180
10. Paul Morris Motorsport 162
CLIPSAL 500 DETAILS:
Circuit: Adelaide Parklands Street Circuit II
Location: Adelaide, South Australia
Circuit Length: 3.22 kilometres
Format: 250km race Saturday and Sunday
2010 Attendance: 277,800 (four days)
2010 Saturday Pole Winner: Jamie Whincup
2010 Saturday Race Winner: Garth Tander
2010 Sunday Pole Winner: Garth Tander
2010 Sunday Race Winner: Garth Tander
