Kelly brothers survive last lap carnage to take Top 10s in Adelaide

ADELAIDE, Australia – Nissan Motorsport drivers Rick and Todd Kelly have finished seventh and 10th in final race of the Clipsal 500 Adelaide on Sunday.

The Mildura-born brothers avoided a last lap incident between Jamie Whincup and Chaz Mostert to take the top 10 results.

Unfortunately, Nissan teammate James Moffat was not as fortunate.

Moffat, who was the highest placed Nissan at the time, was caught up in the crash and failed to finish the race. His car also sustained heavy damage.

Michael Caruso finished in 14th, and that result might have been even better, if not for a power steering problem with two laps to go.

The weekend results has Rick Kelly in eighth in the championship battle, while Todd Kelly sits 10th.

The next time the V8 Supercars hit the track will be at Albert Park for a non-championship round at the Australian Grand Prix.

Rick Kelly, #15 Jack Daniel's Nissan Altima V8

"It was a long race," said Rick Kelly.

"We had a couple of safety cars, but for that last stint we were absolutely on qualifying pace every single lap, so it was quite tough on us.

"The car had really strong pace, and the way the race eventuated and the strategy shook out, it probably didn't quite put us where we had the car to be, which we think would have been third, fourth or fifth.

"It's good to finish seventh, there's no doubt about that, but I tell you, there were a couple of good drives out there, including by James Moffat.

"He had some bad luck three corners from the end, but he was diving through the field, passing guys like Jamie Whincup, it was very impressive.

"It was a bit disappointing for him to end his day the way it did.

"For the Jack Daniel's team it was a great result, a good points bank leaving here, which is exactly what we were looking for.

"I didn't even know I was in the top-two towards the end of the race, it was just head down, bum up, trying to punch out laps, so that when we pitted we come out somewhere reasonable.

"At the end there we had lap times eight tenths of a second better than the leader, but unfortunately we didn't have the time or opportunity to make up a few more positions.

"For sure we would have wanted to be a little bit further forward at the finish, but to come out of here with a points bank like that is a good start to the year for us."

Todd Kelly, #7 Pilatus Nissan Altima V8

"The biggest thing for me for the weekend was to come out of Clipsal with good points for the championship and not be on the back foot," said Todd Kelly.

"We didn't qualify well, but I'd set a goal in my own mind of getting into the top 10. Luckily we survived a couple of close calls during the race and the carnage at the end to scrape in.

"It's always good to be further up but I'm happy with how we got through the weekend and it has given us something we can build on for the rest of the year."

Michael Caruso, #23 NISMO Nissan Altima V8

"It's disappointing that we had a power steering failure with a couple of laps to go – we lost about four spots," said Michael Caruso.

"I have to say though, it's an absolute credit to everyone at Nissan Motorsport – not just the guys on my car but the whole team – it great to see everyone do everything they could to get my car back on the track after my incident yesterday.

"From where the car was yesterday to where it was today, it was a mammoth effort and I can't thank them enough."

James Moffat, #99 Steadfast Nissan Altima V8

"Something like that could happen on lap one, so it's frustrating that it happened with only three corners to go of a 78 lap race," said James Moffat.

"I'm shattered, and disappointed for the guys. They put in a huge effort and to go out in that fashion is bitterly disappointing.

"That's the way it goes sometimes. It seemed like had reasonable speed at various stages of the race, but the day didn't end how it should have.

"We were in a train of cars, four of five of us, for the last few laps. I saw Chaz and Jamie going at it at the hairpin. They were banging and crashing and carrying on the exit. Inevitably, one of them ended in the fence and I had nowhere to go when I arrived on the scene. I tee-boned Chaz pretty hard, and it's very disappointing we ended the race with no points and a damaged car."

RESULTS

Race 3

1. James Courtney

2. Shane Van Gisbergen

3. Garth Tander

4. Jamie Whincup

5. Mark Winterbottom

6. Fabian Coulthard

7. Rick Kelly

8. Jason Bright

9. Craig Lowndes

10. Todd Kelly

14. Michael Caruso

DNF James Moffat

CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS

1. James Courtney - 258 points

2. Fabian Coulthard - 241

3. Garth Tander - 237

4. Shane Van Gisbergen - 222

5. JamieWhincup - 216

6. Craig Lowndes - 208

7. Mark Winterbottom - 202

8. Rick Kelly - 177

9. JasonBright - 161

10. Todd Kelly – 143

19. James Moffat – 84

23. Michael Caruso – 59

# # #