By profession Kelly was a motor dealer from Dublin and he used the profits from this business to indulge his interest in motorsport. He raced a Maserati 6CM on 20 August 1949, during the 1949 BRDC International Trophy meeting at Silverstone Circuit. It was the first race meeting to use the former airfield's perimeter roadways, rather than the main runways. The event was held that day over two heats of 20 laps and one final of 30 laps of the Grand Prix circuit. The final was won by Italian Alberto Ascari driving a Ferrari; Ascari would go on to win the Formula One World Championship twice. The race meeting was marred by the death of St. John Horsfall in an accident during the final race.