Joe Kelly

Although born in South America, Joe was a larger-than-life motor dealer from Dublin, who had a tilt at Grands Prix with the last of Geoffrey Taylor’s three GP Altas. This attractive machine never achieved any real success, but Kelly did manage to take a second place in the Wakefield Trophy handicap race behind Hamilton’s Maserati at the Curragh in 1950 and third place in the Ulster Trophy at Dundrod in 1952 against much better opposition.

With the introduction of rule changes favouring Formula 2, Kelly had his Alta extensively modified to take a Bristol engine. He raced this machine, renamed the IRA (Irish Racing Automobile), sporadically through 1952 and ’53, but was far more interested in enjoying himself at the wheel of his Jaguar C-Type (particularly at the Curragh), which he raced in his inimitable hard-charging style through until 1955, when his career was brought to an end after a three-car accident at Oulton Park.

Kelly, who sustained serious injuries and narrowly escaped the amputation of a badly damaged leg, then concentrated on his extensive business interests which included the Ferrari dealership for Ireland and property development in the United Kingdom.