Steven Richards remains the man most likely, but Rick Kelly is another Holden hero emerging as a potential target for Ford Performance Racing in its search for a top-rank replacement for Britek-bound Jason Bright.

The 23-year-old Toll/HSV ace, who manages his own affairs, is out of contract this year and is in negotiations with John Crennan and Tom Walkinshaw to renew his deal.

When questioned by V8X, Kelly was clearly not prepared to rule out FPR as an alternate option. He also hedged when asked if he was in discussion with the Ford team. It is understood there has been some form of contact.

"That (FPR) is probably the second-best seat available compared to where I am at," he said. "If, for some reason, we couldn’t come to an agreement (with HSV) or couldn’t stay where I am then you have got to look at the cars that are capable of winning.

Sponsor Caterpillar could yet stay with FPR if the right driver is signed.

"A driver would be silly not to consider his options."

Kelly would be a difficult get for FPR. Holden sees him as the man most likely to eventually take over the mantle from Mark Skaife as the Lion’s highest profile and most marketable race driver. He might even be re-signed by the time you read this.

And the $700,000-$800,000 figure the Ford factory team is said to be offering as an annual salary for its lead driver wouldn’t be as tempting for Kelly, who is already well paid, if not quite at that level.

It would also mean leaving behind his family in the Holden camp. Parents John and Margaret own Toll HSV, brother Todd drives for HRT and the two brothers are involved in the K2 marketing program.

But while Rick made it clear he has strong loyalty to Holden, emotional inks are secondary considerations.

"I wouldn’t let that get in the way of my career, I wouldn’t sacrifice a strong shot at the championship to be closer to my brother."

This attitude certainly ties in with the younger Kelly’s reputation as a tough and unsentimental negotiator. At the very least, making it known that the FPR gig is in his mind will increase his leverage at the negotiating table with Holden.

Rick Kelly is out of contract with Toll/HSV at the end of the year, and he has voiced interest in the lead FPR seat.

How far FPR pursues Kelly could be determined by Larry Perkins. The gruff, tough owner of Jack Daniel’s Racing has an option on Richard’s services for 2007 and has said publicly he has no intention of discussing it until after the Bahrain race in late November.

This hardly suits FPR, which wants a resolution as soon as possible so it can sort its sponsor arrangements for next year. For a start, Caterpillar is on the market looking for a car to sponsor after FPR could not supply it with the name of the driver who will replace Bright by its July 31 deadline.

But the team still believes it can regain CAT if it can get its driver line-up sorted soon. Caterpillar Asia-Pacific director Kevin Barrett told V8X that FPR remained its "favoured" option depending on who is signed to drive the car.

FPR also wants an ace who can continue the front-running pace Bright has produced this year. The team’s lucrative contract with Ford Australia expires at the end of 2007 and there is no chance of a renewal on the same terms. FPR needs to win races to help gain other avenues of commercial support.

Richards is understood to have recently supplied Perkins with a legal letter stipulating his future financial expectations. The figures are said to be of a level far beyond what Perkins would be willing to pay, and more than double the $350,000 per annum Richo is said to be currently on.

We thought Steven Richards poking his head into the FPR pits at Adelaide was just funny... now we think it's a little spooky!

As V8X closed for press there were indications Perkins was starting to deal on the Richo issue. Certainly, his sudden public support for increasing assistance to rookie drivers is connected to the prospect of losing Richards and having to pay big money to replace him. Perhaps Perkins is already considering the future of his emerging Fujitsu stars Shane Price and son Jack?

Intriguingly, if neither Richards or Kelly pans out for FPR, a third driver now in a Holden is believed to be considered a chance for the drive.

Not sure who it is, but we can assure you it’s not Greg Murphy even if he is unsettled at PWR. The Kiwi superstar is expected to head for Tasman Motorsport and stay part of the Holden family in 2007.

> Separately it has been confirmed that FPR will take Team Kiwi Racing under its wing in 2007. Currently TKR is linked to PMM, but an influx of financial support from Ford New Zealand means the team will swap brands, cities and technical partner.

Team Kiwi Racing colours on a Ford . TKR will hook up with Ford Performance Racing for 2007

But there will be no change behind the wheel as Paul Radisich will continue on – although that’s yet to be formally announced. This makes sense because the Ford NZ investment is specifically designed to fight Greg Murphy and Holden’s dominant marketing image across the Tasman.

Radisich almost matches Murph for profile and – apart from isolated stints including the last two years – has had a long relationship with Ford throughout his career.

Meanwhile, there is also talk of an FPR-DJR technical link. This has grown out of Ford pushing for increased efficiencies between teams. Talks are at an early stage.

Driver swap is on HRT and the Toll/HSV’s plan to swap drivers for the Sandown and Bathurst enduros is set to go ahead despite strong opposition from rival teams and their representative body, TEGA. Garth Tander will switch to HRT to pair with Mark Skaife, while Todd Kelly shifts to Toll/HSV to drive with brother Rick. The only way the swap could be stopped would be a rewrite of the category operations manual authorised by V8SA CEO Wayne Cattach. But as V8X closed for press there was no plan for that to be done. V8SA has the right to change the rules in its operations manual at any time, but it seems more likely this loophole will be closed for next season. Certainly V8SA isn’t happy with the swap, but regards acting now as potentially counter-productive. The driver switch has been prompted by a desire to separate Tander and R. Kelly into separate cars to protect their championship prospects (see separate story, page 16). The Kelly superteam looks set to roll. It has actually required Tander and T. Kelly to sign new contracts with HRT and Toll/HSV respectively. Once the enduros are over they will re-sign with their regular teams. Driver swaps between teams is not new – Paul Radisich moved from TKR to PMM to drive with Paul Morris at Bathurst last year – but it has never before been done at such a high level of the category. V8SA’s decision not to act against the Clayton four will no doubt rankle at TEGA from board chairman Kelvin O’Reilly down. Mark Skaife, a member of the TEGA board, disqualified himself from discussions on the issue on the basis of a conflict of interest.