Racing with Aquablue may have been very different to the club team where he is now returning, but Robin Kelly says he has no regrets. Pictured winning the Dan O’Donovan Memorial in Fermoy, Co Cork, for the second year running (Photo: Dave O’Brien Photography)
Having departed what was the strongest squad in the country in recent seasons in favour of his old club; Robin Kelly has said the move is all about looking forward.
The Waterford sprinter had been riding with Waterford Racing Club when the opportunity to join Aquablue presented itself.
And having won a number of races in the colours of the Tim Barry-led squad, Kelly said he felt the time was right to return to his home club.
He departs Aquablue along with national veterans’ champion Keith Gater, both of whom were founder members of Waterford RC along with David Quigley.
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Both stayed involved with their home club while riding for Aquablue and it has grown hugely in number since they last rode in its colours.
“The club has been progressing nicely,” said Kelly.
“It’s at least four times bigger than when me and Keith left, so I just feel now is the right time to return.
"In the end, the decision was less about leaving Aquablue and more about wanting to be back racing in my home club’s colours next year.
“I’ll be with my training partners and friends who I do all my training with; day in, day out, all year round.”
Kelly looks upon his return to Waterford Racing Club as a homecoming, having been one of the three founder members (Photo: Sean Rowe)
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Kelly said he leaves Aquablue with no regrets.
“It was a great experience being with them,” he said.
“We were looked after superbly and it was a great feeling to be part of such a winning team.
"I’ve always been a pretty aggressive rider, I like to be part of the action anytime I can.
“But being with a team of so many strong riders means you need a lot of discipline.
“And it often means you have to be prepared to make sacrifices too because at some races you can have maybe half a dozen cards to play.
“In scenarios like that, you need a strong team manager like Timmy Barry to keep everyone focussed on the team’s goals rather than the individual.
“It also means that you need to be more selective with your goals too.
“It goes without saying that the handful of wins I had were high points,” he said, referring to his wins in the Ned Flanagan and Dan O’Donovan.
“From a team perspective, it was a fantastic experience to be in there competing to win all of the biggest one-day and stage races week in, week out.”
He added riding in successful defence of Damien Shaw’s yellow jersey at Kerry Group Rás Mumhan last year was perhaps the highlight for him.
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