Holden turns into Chevrolet for Bahrain

Holden Racing Team’s Todd Kelly realises a lifelong dream to become a Chevrolet driver for the next V8 round at Bahrain, as his familiar red #22 Commodore turns into a black and gold Chevrolet Lumina to celebrate Holden’s 10th year of booming export sales into the Middle East.

For Kelly, it’s a dream come true. “As a kid in Mildura, I always loved 1950s Chevys for all the flair and detail that was designed into those cars,” he said. “I used to collect Chevy belt buckles and I’ve still got a drawer full at home – plus I’ve got ten V8 Chevy engines in the workshop for cars, boats and hotrods.

“Chevrolet in the U.S.A. always meant success in motorsport and I had the fingers crossed that Holden Motorsport would nominate me for this Bahrain exercise,” said Kelly. “This is something that you look back on in future years and remember as being something very special.”

Holden Motorsport Manager Simon McNamara said Kelly was the natural selection to wear the Chevrolet bowtie in Bahrain. “It was a clear cut decision to choose Todd because he’s always been a Chevrolet fanatic of the highest order,” said McNamara.

With over 200,000 Holden sourced short and long wheel based vehicles sold into the region since 1998, the Middle East has been Holden’s biggest and most enduring volume export market. “Locals love the high performance rear wheel drive configuration of Chevrolet Lumina and Caprice, similar to Australian buyers with Commodore, Statesman and Caprice,” said GM Holden Manager Export, Kristian Aquilina. “Being involved in the Bahrain V8 Supercar race is a great way to promote the Chevrolet nameplate and help forge a motorsport heritage for GM in the region.”