Interview: Frank Kelly

Frank Kelly, a man who needs no introduction. Forever spectacular, there isn't one corner he doesn't go all out into. And very sideways out of. Armed with his unique co-driver, Liam Brennan, he goes as fast sideways as he does forwards.

Find GRN's interview with Frank and Liam below.

Profile

Name: Frank Kelly

Hometown: Moy

Job: Alarm Engineer

Road Car: HSV R8

Rally Car: 2.5 Mk2

Co-Driver: Liam Brennan

Sponsors: Bathshack.com, Campbell Contracts, PH Shotblasting, DMS Ireland, 1^st Alert Alarms, Kuhmo, Elite Transmissions, Panta Fuels

Name: Liam Brennan

Hometown: Cork City

Job: Bodyshop Owner

Road Car: Mitsubishi Pajero

Sponsors: I sponsor myself

Global Rally News: When did you first start driving?

Frank Kelly: 7/8 years old. In a mini, round a field

Liam Brennan: 10 or 11 around my father's yard and garage

GRN: What was your first rally car?

FK: Mk2 Fiesta

LB: Vauxhall Nova night nav car

GRN: What was your first event?

FK: Enniskillen Clubman Stages (gravel)

LB: Fastnet Rally 2003

GRN: What is your favourite rally car?

FK: Mk2 (Stupid question!)

LB: Metro 6R4

GRN: Who was your childhood hero in motorsport?

FK: Ari Vatanen

LB: Bertie Fisher

GRN: What are your favourite rallies?

FK: Gravel – Cork Forestry, Bushwhacker, Fivemiletown

Tarmac – Carlow, Ravens Rock, West Cork

LB: Killarney Rally of the Lakes or Bushwhacker Rally

GRN: What was your best drive, to date?

FK: Carlow Mk2 Challenge 2012 or Ulster National 2012

LB: Winning the 2012 Carlow Mk2 Challenge, or maybe Cork Forestry 2011, setting fastest time on the final stage to gain 3rd O/A

GRN: What was your most embarrassing moment on a rally?

FK: Putting my friend's Evo upside down in Fivemiletown this year!

LB: Galloway Hills Rally 2005, giving Raymond Donnelly a wrong note and he wrote off the Mk2!

GRN: What was your biggest accident?

FK: Killing the Fiesta in Antrim 2001, it was a big one!

LB: Hard to pick one...Dogleap 2008 with Frank or maybe Ravens Rock 2005 with my good friend Greg McCarthy in the Nova

GRN: Who would you rate as the top 3 British/Irish drivers today?

FK: Keith Cronin, Daniel McKenna and Amy Cox

LB: Keith Cronin, Kris Meeke and Daniel McKenna...Oops, and Frank Kelly too!

GRN: And in the World Rally Championship?

FK: Sebastian Loeb, Jari-Matti Latvala and Gigi Galli

LB: Sebastien Ogier, Jari-Matti Latvala and Theirry Neuville

GRN: What would you like to change in rallying (rules/admin ect.)?

FK: Ban recce. Save time and money, we are clubmen!

LB: Pretty happy with rallying at the moment. Unhappy about some of the proposed changes in Irish Rallying

GRN: Question for Frank, what was your spin out in the Evo for the Omagh Spring Rally like?

FK: The Evo was a revelation! The drifts you can carry in them is unreal!

GRN: If you were handed £1,000,000 and could only spend it on rallying, what would you do with the money?

FK: Buy an '08 Ford Focus WRC, a state of the art motorhome/mobile workshop and travel the world rallying. Could you make it £2,000,000?

LB: I would buy an '08 Ford Focus WRC for Frank, I think he would like that!

GRN: What are your plans for the 2013 season?

FK: Go as fast as I can for as long as I can, same as usual!

LB: I'm getting married in July 2013 so that had severely restricted my programme but I will be doing selected events with Frank, and the Southern Forestry Championship with James Coleman.

GRN: And finally, what advice would you offer to an upcoming young driver?

FK: Don't buy the fastest car, buy the most reliable one. Then do as many rallies as possible. The speed will come with experience and then you'll be ready for a faster car.

LB: Buy a common car that parts will be readily available and cheaply, because you will need them!

Ulster Rally 2012

All images copyright to GRN, no unauthorised use.