30 November 2009
KELLY BROTHERS AIM TO END FIRST YEAR OF NEW TEAM ON A HIGH IN SYDNEY

AUDIO AND IMAGES: Audio grabs and high resolution images for media use are available by clicking on the thumbnails on the right-hand side of this media release.

Jack Daniel’s Racing team-mates Todd and Rick Kelly are looking to end the first season of their V8 Supercar team on a high at the Sydney Telstra 500 on the streets of Homebush this weekend.

The Bathurst-winning brothers will hit Sydney for the 14th and final event of this year’s V8 Supercar Championship Series following a year of hard work and encouraging progress for Kelly Racing, which opened its doors in March.

Todd Kelly will drive the team’s spare car in Sydney, following a heavy crash at the Bigpond 300 in Perth two weeks ago.

Kelly’s #7 Jack Daniel’s Racing Holden Commodore sustained extensive left-hand-side damage and as a result the 30-year-old will now drive Chassis PE045, with the Jack Daniel’s Racing crew working around the clock to prepare the car.

PE045 made its debut at the start of the 2007 season for Perkins Motorsport, also in the colours of Jack Daniel’s. Much of the running gear from Kelly’s regular chassis, PE049, has been transferred to the spare car.

Chassis PE045 was last driven by Jack Perkins at the Nikon SuperGP on the Gold Coast and has raced at three events this season (L&H 500 at Phillip Island, Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama and Nikon SuperGP on the Gold Coast).

Todd Kelly is confident that the older chassis will still give him the speed needed to challenge for a podium finish in Sydney as the team looks to continue a late-season streak of strong form.

Jack Daniel’s Racing, having scored three podiums from the last four races, is keen to post strong results at the new Sydney event, with the Australian head office of Brown-Forman, owners of the Jack Daniel’s brand, situated on Parkview Drive in Homebush, less than 500 metres from the new street circuit.

Both Todd and Rick Kelly have a history of strong form in season finales, with three event wins between the pair at the final event of the year (see KEY FACTS for full details).

JACK DANIEL’S RACING QUOTEBOARD

Todd Kelly - #7 Jack Daniel’s Racing Holden Commodore:

QUESTION: For Sydney you are stepping into Kelly Racing's spare chassis, PE045, which is an older spec chassis that debuted at the start of 2007. But while it's an older chassis it will have a lot of very new, Kelly Racing-developed parts on it from your regular Jack Daniel's Commodore.

“Luckily from Perth, the incident wrecked basically the whole cage but didn't really touch the front suspension or the diff housing so that will all slot straight into the old chassis,” said Todd Kelly.

“At the end of the day it's going to be fairly similar to what I've been driving, other than some little things like the seating position, which is a lot further inboard on our current cars compared to the car I'll be in at Homebush.

“There are a few little things in the chassis, but I'm quite excited about seeing what I can do in the old girl. I think that chassis may have even been the first VE that Larry (Perkins) ever built. So to jump in that car and see if I can get it into the top 10 and get a result out of it is a pretty exciting challenge.”

QUESTION: Do you think there will be much of a difference in performance between the two chassis?

“I'm not sure. It will be a really good indication to see if we've made any gains in the chassis over that period. I'd hope that we have, but when it's things like that it's 10 things that you do that make a difference, not just a chassis.

“So I'm sure that our current chassis are a bit better and that the older one will be not quite as good, but it's probably not something that you're going to see on the stop watch and say 'jeez, the chassis is no good'.

“It's the front upright, it's the diff housing, it’s the chassis and it's the bits that we've gained in the engine that all give you that last tenth (of a second).

“With a bit of luck I should still be reasonably competitive there.”

QUESTION: What is the future of Kelly Racing chassis PE049?

“I think it will be repairable. It's a big job.

“It's come down to whether it's easier and quicker to build a complete new car or repair that one and whether we can repair it so it's identical to a brand new car.

“We think we can do that but in saying that, we need to get the crashed car onto the jig and have a proper assessment of it.”

QUESTION: You now have your first Kelly Racing trophy and the pace of both Jack Daniel’s Commodores has been really strong lately. Is it important to you to aim for a big result at the Sydney Telstra 500 and have a strong result before the start of the off-season?

“For sure. That's a massive event for our category and to have a good result there will be huge exposure for us.

“Jack Daniel's head office is about 500 metres away from the track. They've got a couple of hundred people that will be cheering us on and hopefully we can give those guys a result.”

QUESTION: There has been so much work go on during Year One of Kelly Racing. Do you have to pinch yourself that we are nearing the last event of the season?

“Yeah it's getting to that point where we are doing a bit of a list of things that we need to do at the workshop but we haven't even had time to think about, like moving a few walls and benches and stuff like that.

“It's starting to sink in that we've nearly survived our very first year of running our own team so it's been good.

“It's probably been the most rewarding year that we've ever had in motorsport.”

Rick Kelly - #7 Jack Daniel’s Racing Holden Commodore:

QUESTION: For the second time this year we are heading to a brand new circuit. Is learning new circuits a challenge you really enjoy?

“I'm quite excited to go to a new track because we've been in V8 Supercars for a number of years and it's always exciting to have the opportunity to learn an new circuit, because it doesn’t happen that often,” said Rick Kelly.

“That's a big highlight for us. There is a lot of hype built up around the Sydney round and the location that it's in, the track that we've got and also the entertainment and things as well.

“The fact that we are all pitted in one massive building, for me that's a big point of difference compared to where we normally go and I'm quite excited about it and can't wait to see what the pits are like inside ‘a big shed’. It's going to be quite good.

“Certainly for Sydney it's something that we haven't managed to have before and it’s something that we've all wanted to have for quite some time. That brings with it a lot of excitement.

“As far as the track goes, all the teams are doing a lot of homework on it now and trying to work out what sort of set-up to use. It looks like a track that is quite different to what we are used to.

“As a team now, we are just trying to work out what set-up to use, whether it's going to be a track a little bit like Indy and a surface like Indy so we will require a set-up like that, or whether it's an New Zealand or Adelaide -type track. So we've had some pretty constructive arguments on both sides and it's been a lot of fun.

“I think we've got exactly what we need in the car to start with and having four cars under our belt, we've got the ability to try a lot of set-up changes and come to grips with a track as quickly as anyone.

“So it should be good and for us the Jack Daniel's head office is about 500 metres away so it's a bit of a local event for ourselves and those guys, so we're pretty keen to get a great result in front of them at their home track in their front yard.”

QUESTION: The last part of this season has really seen the team take a step-up. Is it important to make sure that you finish the season on a strong note?

“Yeah it is. Everyone always says that you're only as good as you're last result and in some cases that's true so you want to finish the year on a high.

“But in saying that, if we don't we've already proven that we're very strong anyway, so it wont matter too much, but it certainly will give myself and the guys a boost if Todd and I are towards the front end of the field.

“We've got a lot of work to do with all of our cars for next year and we're just keen to finish the year on a high and roar straight into 2010. We've been talking about that 2010 championship as a team for some time and been focused on that for some time as far as car preparation, team preparation and even driver training, physical training and stuff, we are very much building towards next year.

“We said earlier on that we were doing the last four rounds as a little bit of a championship and that's sort of the last round for the main championship and for ours, so we're quite focused on that, building towards next year.”

KEY FACTS:

- Kelly brothers have a sensational record of form in season finales …

* Todd Kelly was the overall winner of the 2001 season finale at Sandown

* Todd Kelly also won the 2006 season finale at Phillip Island and was second at Phillip Island to finish the 2007 season

* Rick Kelly was the winner of the final event last season at Oran Park and was third overall at the 2005 season finale at Phillip Island

- Todd Kelly switches chassis for Sydney Telstra 500 …

* Todd Kelly will be driving a different chassis at the Sydney Telstra 500. Kelly’s usual chassis (Chassis No PE049) was extensively damaged in a crash with Lee Holdsworth in the Sunday race in Perth

* Kelly will now drive the team’s spare chassis, PE045, which made its V8 Supercar debut at the start of the 2007 season, with much of the running gear (front and rear suspension, gearbox, differential, engine, seat, pedal box) from Kelly’s usual car transferred over to the spare car for this weekend

* Kelly Racing chassis PE045 was last driven by Jack Perkins at the Nikon SuperGP on the Gold Coast and has raced at three events this season (L&H 500 at Phillip Island, Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama and Nikon SuperGP on the Gold Coast)

- Sydney Telstra 500 a special race for many reasons…

* This weekend’s Sydney Telstra 500 marks the final event of the inaugural season of Kelly Racing, with the team showing in recent races that they will be a force to be reckoned with in 2010

* The Sydney Telstra 500 is also the home race for Jack Daniel’s … and no we are not racing in Lynchburg, Tennessee! The Australian head office of Brown-Forman, owners of the Jack Daniel’s brand, is situated on Parkview Drive in Homebush, less than 500 metres from the circuit

2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series
Points Standings after Race 24 of 26
1. Jamie Whincup 3175
2. Will Davison 2894
3. Garth Tander 2766
4. Craig Lowndes 2544
5. Steven Johnson 2177
6. Mark Winterbottom 2147
7. Rick Kelly 2078
8. James Courtney 1988
9. Lee Holdsworth 1886
10. Russell Ingall 1871
17. Todd Kelly 1561
26. Jack Perkins 993
30. Mark McNally 512

SYDNEY TELSTRA 500 DETAILS:

Circuit: Homebush Street Circuit
Location: Homebush, Sydney, New South Wales
Circuit Length: 2.415 kilometres
Format: 250km race Saturday and Sunday
2009 is debut event



WEEKEND SCHEDULE
All times are local Australian Eastern Daylight Savings Time

Friday 4 December 2009
12:35pm – 1:10pm: Practice – Part A
1:25pm – 2:15pm: Practice – Part B
2:55pm – 3:45pm: Practice – Part C

Saturday 5 December 2009
10:00am – 10:20am: Qualifying – Leg 1
10:25am – 10:40am: Qualifying – Leg 2
10:55am – 11:25am: Top 10 Shootout
2:35pm: Race 1 (Series Race 25) – 74 laps

Sunday 6 December 2009
10:30am – 10:50am: Qualifying (for Race 2)
2:35pm: Race 2 (Series Race 26) – 74 laps

TELEVISION SCHEDULE – SEVEN NETWORK
Times subject to amendment – please check local guides.

Saturday 5 December 2009
1:00pm – 2:00pm AEDST (Support Categories)
2:00pm – 5:00pm AEDST (V8 Supercars)

Sunday 6 December 2009
1:00pm – 2:00pm AEDST (Support Categories)
2:00pm – 5:00pm AEDST (V8 Supercars)

Saturday 12 December 2009
1:00pm – 2:00pm AEDST (V8 XTRA Season Review)

For further information please contact:
Chris Jordan – BAM Media: +61 412 936 338
Communications Manager – Jack Daniel’s Racing

Jack Daniel's Racing drivers Todd and Rick Kelly are pumped for the inaugural Sydney Telstra 500

Jack Daniel's Racing drivers Todd and Rick Kelly are pumped for the inaugural Sydney Telstra 500

Todd Kelly will use a spare car at the Sydney Telstra 500 after his #7 Jack Daniel's Commodore sustained heavy damage at the last event in Perth

Jack Daniel's Racing drivers Todd and Rick Kelly are looking to end Kelly Racing's first season on a high at the Sydney Telstra 500 this weekend

AUDIO GRAB: Sydney - Jack Daniel's Racing driver Todd Kelly speaks about switch to Kelly Racing's spare chassis for the Sydney Telstra 500

AUDIO GRAB: Sydney - Jack Daniel's Racing driver Todd Kelly talks about the difference between the old and new chassis

AUDIO GRAB: Sydney - Todd Kelly says that the team may or may not be able to repair his damaged #7 Jack Daniel's Commodore

AUDIO GRAB: Sydney - Todd Kelly says that the Sydney Telstra 500 is a very important event for Jack Daniel's Racing

AUDIO GRAB: Sydney - Todd Kelly says that it's hard to believe that Kelly Racing is reaching the end of its first year

AUDIO GRAB: Sydney - Jack Daniel's Racing driver Rick Kelly can't wait to see the Sydney Telstra 500 set-up and facilities

AUDIO GRAB: Sydney - Jack Daniel's Racing driver Rick Kelly is determined to finish 2009 on a high

22 November 2009
TOUGH DAY FOR KELLYS IN PERTH

Jack Daniel’s Racing pairing Todd and Rick Kelly have endured a tough day at the Bigpond 300 at Barbagallo Raceway in Perth today.

One day after the team scored its third consecutive podium finish, the team now looks to regroup for the season finale in two weeks time.

Todd Kelly’s race ended early when on lap 38 he spun after contact from behind from Jason Bargwanna and while stranded on the exit of the final corner, was hit in the passenger side at speed by Lee Holdsworth.

Confirmation regarding what chassis Todd Kelly will use at the Sydney Telstra 500 will be released later this week, after the #7 Jack Daniel's Racing Holden Commodore suffered extensive damage in the impact.

Strategy and luck did not go the way of Rick Kelly, who opted not to pit at the Safety Car caused by his brother’s accident, looking to shorten his final stint where he used his softer Dunlop ‘option’ tyres.

However, with no Safety Car deployment in the last half of the race and Kelly’s #15 Jack Daniel’s Racing Holden Commodore using up its rear tyres, he could only manage 16th position.

Entering the final event of the season, the Sydney Telstra 500 on the streets of Homebush in two weeks time, Rick Kelly lies seventh in the 2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series standings while Todd Kelly sits in 17th place.

Craig Lowndes won today’s second race of the Bigpond 300 ahead of Steve Johnson and Garth Tander.

JACK DANIEL’S RACING QUOTEBOARD

Todd Kelly - #7 Jack Daniel’s Racing Holden Commodore:

“It was a shame,” said Todd Kelly.

“The first contact was right on the back bumper bar, so that's dodgy on its own.

“Unfortunately it hit that hard that it's basically taken the whole side out of the car – all the bar work is crimped right through the car.

“After having a quick look, there is a pretty good chance that the #7 Jack Daniel’s car is going to be a throw away, so it's a shame.”

Rick Kelly - #7 Jack Daniel’s Racing Holden Commodore:

“It was a pretty tough weekend,” said Rick Kelly.

“It's always a massive lottery with the way they structure the rules with these soft tyres.

“I'm still pretty confident in the strategy we picked but we didn't have the rear tyre grip to maximise it firstly, and secondly, Safety Cars didn't come out when we needed them to.

“We couldn’t pit when it came out because we wouldn’t have got to the end and unfortunately we had to run the race out as we did. It was also a tough race after we bent our steering when Craig Lowndes hit us.

“It's a bit of a bummer that this weekend didn’t go our way but we’ve had a pretty solid run up until now.

“We need to go back, work out what we need to do for this sort of track and move forward.

“No regrets with that strategy. We couldn’t have done anything else because you don’t know when the Safety Car is going to come out and today it didn’t do what we needed.”

2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series
Points Standings after Race 24 of 26
1. Jamie Whincup 3175
2. Will Davison 2894
3. Garth Tander 2766
4. Craig Lowndes 2544
5. Steven Johnson 2177
6. Mark Winterbottom 2147
7. Rick Kelly 2078
8. James Courtney 1988
9. Lee Holdsworth 1886
10. Russell Ingall 1871
17. Todd Kelly 1561

RESULTS: Race Two (Series Race 24)
1. #888 Craig Lowndes 84 laps
2. #17 Steven Johnson
3. #2 Garth Tander
4. #1 Jamie Whincup
5. #39 Russell Ingall
6. #25 Jason Bright
7. #3 Jason Bargwanna
8. #6 Steven Richards
9. #14 Cameron McConville
10. #18 James Courtney
16. #15 Rick Kelly
DNF #7 Todd Kelly 38 laps

RESULTS: Sunday Qualifying
1. #1 Jamie Whincup 57.1146
2. #5 Mark Winterbottom 57.2379
3. #2 Garth Tander 57.3237
4. #22 Will Davison 57.3660
5. #15 Rick Kelly 57.3715
6. #111 Fabian Coulthard 57.4135
7. #888 Craig Lowndes 57.4145
8. #18 James Courtney 57.4283
9. #17 Steven Johnson 57.4450
10. #25 Jason Bright 57.5321
13. #7 Todd Kelly 57.6077

BIGPOND 300 DETAILS:

Circuit: Barbagallo Raceway
Location: Wanneroo, Western Australia
Circuit Length: 2.415 kilometres
Format: 100km race Saturday and 200km race Sunday
2008 Pole Position: Mark Winterbottom
2008 Race One Winner: Mark Winterbottom
2008 Race Two Winner: Mark Winterbottom
2008 Race Three Winner: Mark Winterbottom



For further information please contact:
Chris Jordan – BAM Media: +61 412 936 338
Communications Manager – Jack Daniel’s Racing

Todd Kelly drives the #7 Jack Daniel's Racing Holden Commodore at Barbagallo Raceway in WA

Rick Kelly drives the #15 Jack Daniel's Racing Holden Commodore in Perth

21 November 2009
TODD KELLY SCORES FIRST PODIUM OF 2009 WITH SECOND IN PERTH

AUDIO AND IMAGES: Audio grabs and high resolution images for media use are available by clicking on the thumbnails on the right-hand side of this media release.

Jack Daniel’s Racing driver Todd Kelly has scored his first podium of the season and collected his first trophy for Kelly Racing with second place in the opening race of the Bigpond 300 at Barbagallo Raceway in Perth today.

Kelly was the first Holden Commodore across the line in the 42-lap race, scoring his first podium finish since Symmons Plains last season.

Jack Daniel’s Racing has now scored podium finishes in three consecutive races, with Rick Kelly finishing third and second in the two races held at Phillip Island two weeks ago.

Todd and brother Rick Kelly are now equal on 26 career podium finishes each, with some friendly sibling rivalry now building as the pair look to bolster their new team’s trophy collection.

Todd Kelly qualified in second place aboard his #7 Jack Daniel’s Racing Holden Commodore and then was fifth fastest in the Top 10 Shootout.

Kelly then used his soft compound Dunlop ‘option’ tyres for the first half of the race, switching to the harder control tyres on lap 22, driving a smooth and consistent race to collect an impressive result.

Rick Kelly narrowly missed the Top 10 Shootout, running off the track at Kolb Corner with five minutes remaining in qualifying, slightly delaying his final run at a quick time and leaving him stranded in 11th position.

He then charged through the field to be fifth by the end of the second lap, starting the race on his soft compound ‘option’ tyres and then switching to the harder tyres on lap six, saving his softs for tomorrow.

Jamie Whincup won today’s race ahead of Todd Kelly and Mark Winterbottom, with a further 84-lap race to be held tomorrow.

JACK DANIEL’S RACING QUOTEBOARD

Todd Kelly - #7 Jack Daniel’s Racing Holden Commodore:

Post-Race Press Conference …

QUESTION: You must be pretty happy with second place?

“It's been a while. I've been chasing that trophy all year and like I said out on the podium, when you work so hard for something it's a hell of a lot more rewarding.

“The boys have done a magic job to start the team at the beginning of the year and to end up racing guys and being on the podium towards the end is what we said we wanted. But we were a little scared about whether we would be able to pull it off when we said that we would like to be in a position to win races by the end of the year.

“So to be able to achieve that is huge, because we don't have the budgets and the infrastructure of a lot of the teams we are competing against. So it means a lot. It's a great day for the boys.

QUESTION: It certainly means a lot to your team. I was watching the team on the track post-race and they really are embellishing and absorbing it. There is a really good vibe of positivity around Kelly Racing at the moment, isn't there?

“Yeah and it's taken a lot of work. A lot of people don't know but we've been through a few staff members this year and it takes a lot of work and a lot of effort to get the right group of people.

“I've been doing this for 10, 11, 12 years now and have been in a lot of teams and to have a group of guys connect like that, especially when you are twice the size of most teams, to get twice as many people to mould together like that is pretty difficult.

“For us to be in that position now is incredible and it makes a huge difference. We've got a great bunch of guys.”

QUESTION: Rick also finished well inside the top 10 in seventh spot and he's seventh in the championship. Pre-season your objective was to try and finish in the top eight in the championship so you're certainly on target there. You have your own Chase-style points score - are you fulfilling the expectations you have for the last few races?

“Well one of us is (laughs). Since we started our own little championship, I was right at the back of the field after Indy and at the back of the field after Phillip Island, so I'd like to start it again now. If Rick doesn't mind ... I'll have to have a chat with him.”

(ED: taking just the past four races into account - two from Surfers, two from Phillip Island - Rick has scored the third most championship points of all drivers. Kelly Racing is calculating the points post-Bathurst internally to judge its late-season form).

QUESTION: Todd can you just elaborate a bit on how difficult it's been putting up with the failures and doing all the development before finally getting the reward you have at the moment?

“It has been hard but that's what we do. When Rick and I got into the sport when we were 16, 17 years old, it was the same thing. Back in Mildura we worked on our own cars and the other guys rolled into the teams with their money and had awesome cars from previous years.

“It's always been tough so getting into the sport was a little bit like that so we're no strangers to it. When you go through that and there is a light at the end of the tunnel there is nothing that you can ever do that is as rewarding as that.

“Basically all the team now thinks the same way. They've worked harder than most in pit lane and now with a little bit of success it means a lot to them as well.”

Rick Kelly - #7 Jack Daniel’s Racing Holden Commodore:

“For us today was a reasonable day,” said Rick Kelly.

“We were just trying to edge our way towards fifth in the championship. We had Steven Johnson finish behind but Mark Winterbottom finish in front.

“It wasn’t too bad for us and we still have some credit left on our soft compound tyres.

“Qualifying today again let us down. I made a mistake and it put us back in 11th.

“We still have good tyres for tomorrow so we are probably in a reasonable boat there and if we get a good qualifying run tomorrow and pick the right soft tyre strategy then we should be able to finish in front of those guys.”

2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series
Points Standings after Race 23 of 26
1. Jamie Whincup 3055
2. Will Davison 2894
3. Garth Tander 2637
4. Craig Lowndes 2394
5. Mark Winterbottom 2093
6. Steven Johnson 2039
7. Rick Kelly 2021
8. James Courtney 1910
9. Lee Holdsworth 1886
10. Russell Ingall 1760
15. Todd Kelly 1561

RESULTS: Race One (Series Race 23)
1. #1 Jamie Whincup 42 laps
2. #7 Todd Kelly
3. #5 Mark Winterbottom
4. #18 James Courtney
5. #22 Will Davison
6. #888 Craig Lowndes
7. #15 Rick Kelly
8. #51 Greg Murphy
9. #39 Russell Ingall
10. #17 Steven Johnson

RESULTS: Top 10 Shootout
1. #888 Craig Lowndes 0:57.1862
2. #1 Jamie Whincup 0:57.1914
3. #17 Steven Johnson 0:57.2246
4. #22 Will Davison 0:57.2688
5. #7 Todd Kelly 0:57.3226
6. #5 Mark Winterbottom 0:57.3753
7. #33 Lee Holdsworth 0:57.3938
8. #2 Garth Tander 0:57.4571
9. #39 Russell Ingall 0:57.5289
10. #18 James Courtney 0:57.7084

RESULTS: Qualifying
1. #1 Jamie Whincup 0:56.9288
2. #7 Todd Kelly 0:57.2013
3. #2 Garth Tander 0:57.2192
4. #22 Will Davison 0:57.2308
5. #888 Craig Lowndes 0:57.2439
6. #17 Steven Johnson 0:57.2445
7. #39 Russell Ingall 0:57.2819
8. #5 Mark Winterbottom 0:57.2948
9. #18 James Courtney 0:57.3019
10. #33 Lee Holdsworth 0:57.3316
11. #15 Rick Kelly 0:57.3585

BIGPOND 300 DETAILS:

Circuit: Barbagallo Raceway
Location: Wanneroo, Western Australia
Circuit Length: 2.415 kilometres
Format: 100km race Saturday and 200km race Sunday
2008 Pole Position: Mark Winterbottom
2008 Race One Winner: Mark Winterbottom
2008 Race Two Winner: Mark Winterbottom
2008 Race Three Winner: Mark Winterbottom



WEEKEND SCHEDULE
All times are local Australian Western Standard Time (WA)
Add three hours for Australian Eastern Daylight Savings Time

Friday 20 November 2009
12:25pm – 1:00pm: Practice – Part A
1:15pm – 2:05pm: Practice – Part B
2:45pm – 3:35pm: Practice – Part C

Saturday 21 November 2009
9:30am – 9:50am: Qualifying – Leg 1
9:55am – 10:10am: Qualifying – Leg 2
10:25am – 10:55am: Top 10 Shootout
1:05pm: Race 1 (Series Race 23) – 42 laps

Sunday 22 November 2009
10:00am – 10:20am: Qualifying (for Race 2)
12:35pm: Race 2 (Series Race 24) – 84 laps

TELEVISION SCHEDULE – SEVEN NETWORK
Times subject to amendment – please check local guides.

Saturday 21 November 2009
2:00pm – 5:00pm AEDST

Sunday 22 November 2009
2:00pm – 5:00pm AEDST

For further information please contact:
Chris Jordan – BAM Media: +61 412 936 338
Communications Manager – Jack Daniel’s Racing

Jack Daniel's Racing driver Todd Kelly is pleased to pick up his first trophy for Kelly Racing in Perth on Saturday

Todd Kelly drives the #7 Jack Daniel's Racing Holden Commodore at Barbagallo Raceway in WA

Jack Daniel's Racing driver Rick Kelly speaks with V8 Supercars Australia Executive Chairman Tony Cochrane in Perth

Rick Kelly aboard the #15 Jack Daniel's Racing Holden Commodore at Barbagallo Raceway

The Jack Daniel's Racing Holden Commodores of Todd and Rick Kelly in Perth

AUDIO: Todd Kelly speaks about how much the recent success of Jack Daniel's Racing means to him and all the staff at Kelly Racing

20 November 2009
JACK DANIEL'S RACING MAKES SOLID START IN PERTH

Jack Daniel’s Racing drivers Todd and Rick Kelly have both made a solid start to the Bigpond 300 with solid performances at Barbagallo Raceway in Western Australia today.

Todd Kelly was the fastest driver in the first part of today’s practice aboard his #7 Jack Daniel’s Racing Holden Commodore, following up that result with fourth and 10th fastest times in the second and third segments respectively.

Brother Rick Kelly was also pleased with his day’s work in preparation for this weekend’s two races in his #15 Jack Daniel’s Racing Holden Commodores as he worked at getting a sound race set-up, only using one set of tyres in practice today.

Jamie Whincup was fastest in final practice today at Barbagallo Raceway ahead of Fabian Coulthard and James Courtney.

JACK DANIEL’S RACING QUOTEBOARD

Todd Kelly - #7 Jack Daniel’s Racing Holden Commodore:

“We're both reasonably happy,” said Todd Kelly.

“The Jack Daniel's Commodore was probably close to perfect out of the truck and the biggest thing was just the unknown of the tyre quality through the field.

“So I didn't really know where we are at and we will not know until we go out for qualifying and everyone is on greens.-

“I think we're sitting reasonably well so far.”

Rick Kelly - #7 Jack Daniel’s Racing Holden Commodore:

“Our Jack Daniel’s Commodore was pretty reasonable straight out of the truck today,” said Rick Kelly.

“We wanted to save as many tyres as we could for tomorrow, which meant that towards the end of practice our rears were a little bit old.

“We made a fair few changes, some good and some bad, and it was just enough for us to pick a package that was pretty reasonable.

“When we're on the same tyres as the other guys we're in the top five. So with any luck tomorrow when we have greens on we should be towards the front a little bit more.

“I'm pretty happy with today. We found a lot that worked and with us coming to a track that is perhaps a little bit different to some of the others that we’re used to, it’s a good start.

“It looks like after the weekend, at this stage, we will be able to tick the box for having good car speed at this track, when we come back for next t year.”

RESULTS: Practice – Part C
1. #1 Jamie Whincup 57.0626
2. #111 Fabian Coulthard 57.3841
3. #18 James Courtney 57.5238
4. #22 Will Davison 57.5771
5. #6 Steven Richards 57.5823
6. #5 Mark Winterbottom 57.7941
7. #11 Jack Perkins 57.8024ds
8. #25 Jason Bright 57.8332
9. #14 Cameron McConville 57.9434
10. #7 Todd Kelly 57.9538
18. #15 Rick Kelly 0:58.0806

RESULTS: Practice – Part B
1. #18 James Courtney 57.8434
2. #1 Jamie Whincup 57.8695
3. #111 Fabian Coulthard 57.9219
4. #7 Todd Kelly 57.9482
5. #17 Steven Johnson 58.0338
6. #888 Craig Lowndes 58.0752
7. #15 Rick Kelly 58.1077
8. #2 Garth Tander 58.1233
9. #8 Jason Richards 58.1399
10. #333 Michael Patrizi 58.1637

RESULTS: Practice – Part A
1. #7 Todd Kelly 58.1968
2. #111 Fabian Coulthard 58.2745
3. #51 Greg Murphy 58.3137
4. #25 Jason Bright 58.4589
5. #55 Tony D'Alberto 58.6272
6. #67 Tim Slade 58.6434
7. #3 Jason Bargwanna 58.7221
8. #4 Alex Davison 58.7705
9. #12 Dean Fiore 58.9799
10. #333 Michael Patrizi 58.9907

KEY FACTS:

- Rick Kelly a double podium placegetter in Perth …

* Rick Kelly scored third overall at Barbagallo Raceway in 2004 and second overall in 2007.
* Kelly also picked up two trophies two weeks ago at Phillip Island – the first two trophies for Kelly Racing
* Todd Kelly’s best overall finish in Perth is fourth place in 2003

- Dunlop’s soft tyre is back for the Bigpond 300 at Barbagallo Raceway

* This weekend’s event in Perth is the first event with the option tyre since Queensland Raceway in August

2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series
Points Standings after Race 22 of 26
1. Jamie Whincup 2905
2. Will Davison 2783
3. Garth Tander 2565
4. Craig Lowndes 2292
5. Mark Winterbottom 1964
6. Steven Johnson 1961
7. Rick Kelly 1925
8. Lee Holdsworth 1817
9. James Courtney 1790
10. Russell Ingall 1676
17. Todd Kelly 1423

JACK DANIEL’S RACING DRIVERS AT BARBAGALLO:

Todd Kelly - #7 Jack Daniel’s Racing Holden Commodore:

Last time at Barbagallo …

2008 Qualifying: Eighth
2008 Race One: Ninth
2008 Race Two: Eighth
2008 Race Three: DNF

Debut: 2001
Events: Eight
Races: 24
Best Qualifying: Third (2006)
Top 10 in Qualifying: Five
Best Race Finish: Second (Race 3 – 2003)
Top 10 Finish in Race: 16

Rick Kelly - #15 Jack Daniel’s Racing Holden Commodore:

Last time at Barbagallo …

2008 Qualifying: Seventh
2008 Race One: Sixth
2008 Race Two: Fifth
2008 Race Three: Sixth

Debut: 2002
Events: Seven
Races: 21
Best Qualifying: Second (2007)
Top 10 in Qualifying: Five
Best Race Finish: Second
Race Two – 2004
Race One – 2007
Race Two – 2007
Top 10 Finish in Race: 13

BIGPOND 300 DETAILS:

Circuit: Barbagallo Raceway
Location: Wanneroo, Western Australia
Circuit Length: 2.415 kilometres
Format: 100km race Saturday and 200km race Sunday
2008 Pole Position: Mark Winterbottom
2008 Race One Winner: Mark Winterbottom
2008 Race Two Winner: Mark Winterbottom
2008 Race Three Winner: Mark Winterbottom



WEEKEND SCHEDULE
All times are local Australian Western Standard Time (WA)
Add three hours for Australian Eastern Daylight Savings Time

Friday 20 November 2009
12:25pm – 1:00pm: Practice – Part A
1:15pm – 2:05pm: Practice – Part B
2:45pm – 3:35pm: Practice – Part C

Saturday 21 November 2009
9:30am – 9:50am: Qualifying – Leg 1
9:55am – 10:10am: Qualifying – Leg 2
10:25am – 10:55am: Top 10 Shootout
1:05pm: Race 1 (Series Race 23) – 42 laps

Sunday 22 November 2009
10:00am – 10:20am: Qualifying (for Race 2)
12:35pm: Race 2 (Series Race 24) – 84 laps

TELEVISION SCHEDULE – SEVEN NETWORK
Times subject to amendment – please check local guides.

Saturday 21 November 2009
2:00pm – 5:00pm AEDST

Sunday 22 November 2009
2:00pm – 5:00pm AEDST

For further information please contact:
Chris Jordan – BAM Media: +61 412 936 338
Communications Manager – Jack Daniel’s Racing

Jack Daniel's Racing driver Rick Kelly in pit lane at Barbagallo Raceway

Jack Daniel's Racing driver Todd Kelly in Perth

Rick Kelly drives the #15 Jack Daniel's Racing Holden Commodore at Barbagallo Raceway in WA

Todd Kelly drives the #7 Jack Daniel's Racing Holden Commodore at Barbagallo Raceway in WA

08 November 2009
SECOND GIVES RICK KELLY DOUBLE PODIUM AT PHILLIP ISLAND

AUDIO AND IMAGES: Audio grabs and high resolution images for media use are available by clicking on the thumbnails on the right-hand side of this media release.

Rick Kelly has delivered Jack Daniel’s Racing its second trophy in two days with second place in the final race of the Island 300 at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in Victoria today.

Just nine months (278 days to be exact …) after Kelly Racing’s official opening, Kelly delivered the squad two podium finishes in two days around the fast seaside circuit.

This weekend’s speed outlined both the pace of the team’s two Jack Daniel’s Racing Holden Commodores and the potential of the emerging team at both the final two events of this year and heading into the 2010 season.

Kelly qualified in fifth position in his #7 Jack Daniel’s Racing Holden Commodore and was up to fourth by the time the first round of pit stops was completed.

A great strategy from the Jack Daniel’s Racing crew and a slick first pit stop on lap 11 saw Rick Kelly vault into second position and from there the dual Bathurst winner held his ground after the second pit stop on lap 20.

After a scare exiting pit lane after his second stop, when the Safety Car inexplicably stopped on the front straight, Kelly cleared away from those behind and set about chasing down race leader Jamie Whincup.

In the end the two drivers had similar pace and as a result the positions did not change, with Kelly’s second placing today his best-ever official race result at Phillip Island and also making him the best Holden both today and for the weekend overall.

Kelly remains seventh in the 2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series standings and closes the gap to Mark Winterbottom and Steven Johnson, who sit between the 26-year-old and his goal of finishing in the top five in the series standings at the end of the team’s first season.

For the second consecutive day Todd Kelly showed ultra-impressive car speed aboard his #7 Jack Daniel’s Racing Holden Commodore, but in the end luck was again not on his side.

Todd Kelly qualified in 11th position but a great pit stop from the Jack Daniel’s Racing crew moved him up the order into fourth place after his first pit stop on lap 12.

The older of the Kelly brothers was catching the leading trio but his run was ended when he was served with a drive through penalty for an unsafe exit from his second pit stop and making contact with the car of Garth Tander in pit lane.

Both Todd and Rick Kelly and all of Jack Daniel’s Racing and Kelly Racing are now keen to continue the great form shown at Phillip Island this weekend at the Bigpond 300 at Barbagallo Raceway in Perth in two weeks time.

JACK DANIEL’S RACING QUOTEBOARD

Rick Kelly - #7 Jack Daniel’s Racing Holden Commodore:

QUESTION: It must be very satisfying to not only get two podium finishes here this weekend, but to show such good pace, as it's a very encouraging sign for the rest of this year and also 2010.

“Yeah, absolutely,” said Rick Kelly.

“From a personal point of view as well, I really enjoyed that race. It was awesome to chase Jamie (Whincup) down. He was pushing hard and so was I and we managed to stay within two seconds of him for that whole time.

“I'm pretty stoked with that. If we're going to win races I need to drive very consistently and get the most out of the car at every corner of every lap of every race.

“We showed that we are quite strong as far as the race car goes and keeping the car on the track and going fast.

“I'm personally satisfied with that and as far as the team goes it will be great to let everyone enjoy this.

“Everyone has worked so hard to get to this point. We will have a bit of a lunch with all the team to enjoy it before we head to Perth.

“It's a little bit of a bummer that Todd wasn't up there with me. He's probably driven even better than I have and unfortunately circumstances in both races meant that he wasn't able to finish up there.

“So with that in mind we should go to the next two events and keep that momentum going and do the same thing again hopefully.”

RICK KELLY PRESS CONFERENCE

QUESTION: Rick, third yesterday, second today, you've got nothing but a win going your way at Barbagallo if that trend continues. You must be pretty happy after a good weekend for your team?

“Yeah, absolutely. I'm a little bit disappointing with my qualifying to be honest. That's what is letting us down at the moment.

“The Jack Daniel's Commodore could have been a couple of tenths quicker. To be honest I could have got a couple of tenths more out of it and it was the same today. We probably should have been in around third as far as the car goes.

“The race pace is quite good. It was a little bit 'oversteery' for us out there for us and we found that out on the first racing lap and I said 'uh-oh' because we had 43 laps to go and we managed to keep the tail behind the front of the car, which was good.

“Like Jamie (Whincup) said I was trying to chase him down as best I could.

“The way the tyres work here if you can have two or three slides they deteriorate quite quickly and your lap times start to fall away and you just can't get that back.

“So it might have looked like we were just going slow but we were being very gentle and being a little bit conservative. I was trying my hardest to catch Jamie but at the same time if I did have a couple of slides, the guys behind would have swamped me pretty quick.

“So it was quite an enjoyable race.”

QUESTION: Talk us through what you saw with the Safety Car conditions there when everyone was rejoining. What did you see from your perspective?

“It was absolutely dangerous to be honest with you.

“We're quite lucky that someone's fuel tank didn't end up under the bonnet with what happened. I mean, I parked alongside the Safety Car and gave it a few revs and they just sat there ... we were ready to go and nothing happened.

“I would expect that something may get done about that because you certainly don't want that to happen again and I wouldn't like to be parked on the road with cars coming up the straight doing 250km/h again.”

QUESTION: Who do you focus your energies on in that regard? Is there somebody that will, on behalf of the drivers, take this to the officials as it's your neck on the line out there when you've got cars approaching at that speed? What's the actual process?

“Probably giving the Safety Car a drive through (laughs).

“I don't know. There are a lot of things, a lot of rough edges that could be tidied up in some people's opinions.

“Everyone as a team owner and member is attacking that and I'm sure there will be plenty of letters written in about that particular incident and whoever is responsible for that incident would surely already recognise that something needs to be done.

“I don't even think that needs to happen as far as people bringing it up, I'm sure they're aware of it.”

QUESTION: It's been a great result for yourself but unfortunately your brother Todd had another drama. At lap 10 you had two in the top four and then after the Safety Car sequence he had dramas in pit lane. But the speed of your cars in race trim must be really encouraging going into the last four races of the year.

“Absolutely. Through the mid-part of the year, like I said yesterday, my driving could have probably been a little bit better as far as concentration for a whole race. If you make just one little error there you can lose three or four spots.

“I'm pretty happy with how we went today. We were chasing Jamie and we were lucky in that we were similar and none of us made a mistake. It's good and it's pretty exciting. I can hit the training up now and really start to focus on next year and keep on building that speed and maintain a sustainable team that we've got underneath us and get Todd up there.

“He's been driving well and had a lot of pace. It would be good to see him on the podium as well, which I'm sure is not far away.”

QUESTION: Out there in a longer race when tyre wear is such an issue, what is it like when you're sliding the car? How dramatic was the drop off out there?

“I think the drop off wasn't that bad. We were doing high sixs (1min26secs) and low sevens for about 20 laps or so. So I was actually surprised how well the tyres hung in there to be honest.

“Towards the end on the last three or four laps I set myself a bit of a target to try and catch Jamie a little bit and I hurt the tyre and the last two laps I was quite excited to be in second place so there was no point in firing it off trying to catch Jamie, when that was probably not doable, and lose second place.

“So I had a good gap to third and I backed it off.”

Todd Kelly - #7 Jack Daniel’s Racing Holden Commodore:

“It wasn't our weekend, that's for sure,” said Todd Kelly.

“After the thing with Lowndes yesterday it was just bad luck today really with all the confusion and action in pit lane.

“We were in a position to do really well both days this weekend and the Jack Daniel's Commodore was great.

“But it's great for the team. All the boys have worked really hard and what Rick did this weekend was genuine. We didn't luck out and get there by someone giving it to us. That was earned and the Jack Daniel’s Commodores were genuinely fast and they have been for quite a few rounds, we just haven't been able to put it together.

“It's going to be a really good, strong finish to the season for the team given and that’s great given that it's only our first year.”

QUESTION: There are so many things that go into starting a team and especially developing new cars. It must be extremely rewarding to see those things coming together now with two very fast cars this weekend.

“For sure that is massive. Everyone has done a great job. There are teams that go for 10 years in this sport and can't get the recipe right to get a car together to qualify well and to race well and to get on a podium. So to have done that already is huge and certainly gives us the confidence moving forward.

“I've got no issue whatsoever with our equipment. All the boys have done a great job and when we get it right on the day, our cars are good enough to be on the podium and on the front row.”

QUESTION: What was your take on the Safety Car problem when you came over the crest on the front straight to see the Safety Car, Jamie and Rick sitting in the middle of the road?

“I've had a drama with my radio all weekend in my car, so that was a bit of a surprise to see that.

“The last thing I heard was that you need to keep on it to make sure you get position as everyone comes out of pit lane and then I saw everyone parked up the end. That was quite dangerous and I didn't hear anything on the radio about that because we've had dramas all weekend.

“It would have been nice of them to park down around the corner a little further!”

RESULTS: Race Two (Series Race 22)
1. #1 Jamie Whincup - 44 laps
2. #15 Rick Kelly
3. #2 Garth Tander
4. #18 James Courtney
5. #25 Jason Bright
6. #9 Shane Van Gisbergen
7. #888 Craig Lowndes
8. #10 Paul Dumbrell
9. #111 Fabian Coulthard
10. #34 Michael Caruso
21. #7 Todd Kelly

RESULTS: Sunday Qualifying
1. #1 Jamie Whincup 1:35.1992
2. #5 Mark Winterbottom 1:35.2470
3. #10 Paul Dumbrell 1:35.4984
4. #8 Jason Richards 1:35.5161
5. #15 Rick Kelly 1:35.5433
6. #9 Shane Van Gisbergen1:35.5745
7. #17 Steven Johnson 1:35.5747
8. #25 Jason Bright 1:35.6667
9. #22 Will Davison 1:35.6711
10. #34 Michael Caruso 1:35.7320
11. #7 Todd Kelly 1:35.7848

2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series
Points Standings after Race 22 of 26
1. Jamie Whincup 2905
2. Will Davison 2783
3. Garth Tander 2565
4. Craig Lowndes
5. Mark Winterbottom 1964
6. Steven Johnson 1961
7. Rick Kelly 1925
8. Lee Holdsworth 1817
9. James Courtney 1790
10. Russell Ingall 1676
17. Todd Kelly 1423

KEY FACTS:

- History making weekend for Kelly Racing …

- On Saturday Rick Kelly won the first ever trophy for Kelly Racing by finishing third in the opening race of the Island 500

- Today, Rick Kelly backed up that result with second place, just 278 days after the team opened its doors

- Both in today’s race and for the weekend overall, Rick Kelly was the best performed Holden driver at Phillip Island

- Todd Kelly scored a win in the opening qualifying race of the L&H 500 at Phillip Island in September earlier this year but that race is not officially counted as a race of the 2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series

THE ISLAND 300 DETAILS:

Circuit: Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit
Location: Phillip Island, Victoria
Circuit Length: 4.446 kilometres
Format: 100km race Saturday and 200km race Sunday
2009 Qualifying Driver A Pole: Paul Dumbrell
2009 Qualifying Driver B Pole: Mark Winterbottom
2009 Heat Race A Winner: Todd Kelly
2009 Heat Race B Winner: Mark Winterbottom
2009 L&H 500 Winner: Garth Tander & Will Davison



For further information please contact:
Chris Jordan – BAM Media: +61 412 936 338
Communications Manager – Jack Daniel’s Racing

Rick Kelly in the thick of the action aboard the #15 Jack Daniel's Racing Holden Commodore

Todd Kelly drives the #7 Jack Daniel's Racing Holden Commodore at Phillip Island

Jack Daniel's Racing driver Rick Kelly

Rick Kelly tops Lukey Heights and approaches MG Corner in the #15 Jack Daniel's Racing Holden Commodore

Todd and Rick Kelly at Phillip Island in their Jack Daniel's Racing Holden Commodores

Rick Kelly scores his second podium in two days for Jack Daniel's Racing at Phillip Island

Rick Kelly collects the second trophy for Kelly Racing with second place on Sunday at Phillip Island

Jack Daniel's Racing driver Rick Kelly at the post-race media conference on Sunday at Phillip Island

Rick Kelly ponders where to put Kelly Racing's first two trophies after a breakthrough double podium weekend at Phillip Island

AUDIO: Phillip Island II - Jack Daniel's Racing driver Rick Kelly speaks about finishing second in Sunday's race at the Island 300

AUDIO: Phillip Island II - Jack Daniel's Racing driver Todd Kelly speaks about his bad luck but strong car speed at Phillip Island

AUDIO: Phillip Island II - Todd Kelly says that there is more to come from Jack Daniel's Racing after this weekend's double podium result for Rick Kelly