Driver Spotlight - Adam Kelly

Driver, mechanic and all around petrolhead Adam Kelly put down an incredible season in the IDC Pro2 Category this year. From astronomical highs to crushing lows, Adam’s been put through the mill. He never let the setbacks stop him and has come out the other end of his trials earning his Pro licence for 2025. We got to catch up with Adam after an eventful few months about what it's like working for DeaneMSport, the incident at Bishopscourt and what he’s looking forward to for the 2025 season.

What does a typical day working in DeaneMsport look like?

A day at work for me can vary a lot. At DeaneMsport we get the opportunity to work on some crazy builds like drift cars, rally cars, modified road cars and cool stuff like that. But on the other hand we also work on your regular road cars as well so no two days are the same really which I love. 

You’ve worked on a lot of cars that you compete against, do you think knowing what the builds are is an advantage? 

I have worked on and set up a lot of the cars on the IDC grid, but I wouldn’t call it an advantage. More so it’s when you line up beside a car you know, and a driver you know then you can trust that you are able to push 100% in the battle with them. It also means that if those guys have any issues during a weekend that myself or the lads at DeaneMsport can step in and help them to hopefully get them back out on track. 

Adam Kelly rubbing doors with Colin O Sullivan - Credit - Meghan Roycroft @driven_by_cameras

What’s your favourite part of your build? 

Personally my favourite part about my build is the fact it was built at home with a lot of help from my family and friends. 

What’s your least favourite job to do on a car?

I think any job that doesn’t involve building drift cars to be honest 

What was going through your mind when the incident at Bishopscourt was happening?

Initially when the fire started the only thing on my mind was for Dylan to get out unharmed. As soon as I could see that he was out and wasn’t hurt, then my focus returned to the car. It was hard to stand behind the fence and watch my whole livelihood go up in flames and not be able to do anything. I could only hope that Dylan and the marshals could put it out, which they did and we came away from it very lucky.   

How do you spend your time in the off season? (Non car related if possible)

It’s hard to keep this question non car related. The off season is a very busy time for me as we are busy preparing everyone else’s cars as well as my own car for the next season. I suppose it’s nice to have weekends free and to spend time with family and friends, but also I hope to pack my off season with plenty of seat time in practice cars. 

Any plans for the car for next year?

Mechanically no, I have my car built to a really high spec that thankfully there’s not much to do it over the off season. Cosmetically, yes we will have a whole new look for the car next year with a cool livery featuring my amazing sponsors (current and new). 

Adam tearing through the tarmac - credit Sam Murphy - @sjm.rallying

You have an unlimited budget, tell me what your dream build would be? 

If I had an unlimited budget I’d build a full carbon Kevlar modern BMW chassis with a 1000hp 2jz, the full driftmasters spec car. 

You got your well deserved Pro licence at the end of this season, who are you looking forward to battling the most?

This is a hard one! Every driver on the IDC pro grid is so talented but I suppose a battle between friends is always a good one so I would say Owen Magner or Christopher Deane. It would be nice also to see Dylan Garvey back next year and for us to have some battles together!

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