Red Bull Australia

Most would just be on their P-plates at 17 years of age, but for young racing gun Rick Kelly, who broke into the V8 Supercars scene just shortly after he got his L’s as it seems, traveling at incredible and barely legal speeds of 250km/h was already the norm back then with him being well on his way to becoming one of the youngest names in motorsport.

Born on 17 January 1983, this Mildura-based athlete hopped straight from the baby’s seat to the driver’s seat. Kelly’s first driving experience began when other kids were still learning how to ride tricycles. “I started riding motorbikes at three, so I’ve been driving or riding something since I was still in nappies,” Kelly said.

Kelly was destined to dominate and conquer the racing industry. With the encouragement of his older brother Todd Kelly, who is also a V8 Supercars driver, Rick went on to pursue racing as a profession.

Rick made his racing debut in 2000 and has since enjoyed a colourful career, winning back-to-back championship titles and prestigious awards including the coveted CAMS Gold Star Award and the highly prestigious Mike Kable Rookie of the Year title.

Despite having so many victories to choose from, in Kelly’s eyes his biggest sporting triumph to date was in his earlier days, “My best sporting achievement is winning the 2006 Drivers Championship and my best results include back-to-back Bathurst wins in 2003 and 2004,” Kelly said.

In the years to come however, Kelly will focus on returning to the top of the Championship ladder – where he clearly belongs. “I want to win another championship and find another world record to break,” Kelly said.