Ricky don't lose that number

OH yes, he is lovely. Baby-faced with huge chocolate eyes of the variety you can get lost in, a soft lilting Ozzie accent and the self-deprecating charm of a celebrity that's been brought up properly - it is easy to see why reigning V8 supercar champion Rick Kelly was named Australia's most eligible bachelor ... you could definitely take this one home to the parents.

As he zooms around Bahrain's International Circuit for the Toll Holden team this weekend, the Australian heart-throb is sure to get hearts racing both on and off the track. At just 24, Kelly is the second youngest V8 supercars champion after rocketing into first place at last year's championships.

It is his second trip to Bahrain and luckily for us, he is sticking around for a few days.

When GulfWeekly caught up with him at the poolside of Diplomat Hotel last week, he was enjoying some much needed rest and relaxation before the big race.

"We're acclimatising," he explained - the soaring temperatures inside his car can reach 30 degrees higher than the air outside.

"We're also getting reacquainted with the track. It is very different to what we're used to. It's fast, very technical, the corners are not very straight forward and there are always corners leading into more corners, so positioning is essential. The grip and track surface is also different, it's quite slippy," he explained.

He looks too young to be racing around at death-defying speeds on slippery race tracks.

Don't his parents worry about him having such a dangerous occupation?

"Our family has always been involved in motor sports, my parents raced boats on the rivers in Australia," he revealed. "They've been racing their whole lives so they understand. I love the challenge and how competitive it is. The feeling of winning and beating everyone is what drives me."

His 27-year-old brother Todd also races and will be competing in a gold and black Chevrolet Lumina.

Kelly started racing at the age of six, graduating from go-carts to minor racing categories.

In 2000 in his debut racing year, he was the runner-up in Formula Ford. Since then he has secured consistent podium places and pole positions, in the process generating Kelly-mania in Australia.

But the driver is coy about his celebrity status. Does he get lots of women chasing him since being named one of Australia's most eligible bachelors?

"No," he blushed. "To be honest we don't get much of a chance to go out socialising and drinking. I guess it hinders your training and mindset. Racing is fierce and competitive and you can't do anything that might distract you from your goals."

His short-term goal is to defend his title. With three rounds remaining in the V8 Supercar Desert 400 race, Kelly holds fourth position overall with 466 points, 35 behind leader Jamie Wincup of Team Vodafone.

He's hotly-tipped to win the Bahrain event before competing in the 13th round - the Falken Tasmania Challenge in Launceston.

His long-term goal is to secure a number of V8 championships, branch into another form of motor sport and perhaps move abroad.

"If there was an opportunity for me to race in another country I would definitely consider it," he said.

Maybe he would like to move to Bahrain I suggest, I'm sure it would make a lot of (female) motor-sport fans here very happy.

He shrugs, but agrees that the BIC's facilities are exceptional and advises that any young hopefuls head down to the track and make the most of the opportunities on offer.

Eventually I slip in the question. "Is the eligible bachelor still single?"

Without skipping a beat he replies... in the negative. "I have a girlfriend," he said, glancing over at the pretty brunette on the other side of the pool. And it's a racing certainty that she will be at the track cheering him on with thousands of admirers.