Jason Richards was born in Nelson, New Zealand and chased his motorsport dream.
Most remembered for his charm, smile and enthusiasm, Richards brought all of this and more to the Supercars paddock during his 11 year racing career.
During his time as a race car driver, Richards competed in New Zealand and British Formula Ford, New Zealand Touring Car Championship before graduating to Supercars in 2000.
Across his 131 Supercars race starts, Richards took two pole positions, one win and finished a best of 14th in the championship.
In his decade of Supercars racing, ‘JR’ was integral to turning teams such as Tasman Motorsport and Brad Jones Racing into contenders. Statistics don’t do justice, but there were never a doubt that if Richards was on the track, he was giving 100 percent and more.
In November 2010, he was diagnosed with Adrenocortical Carcinoma Cancer forcing Richards to stand down from his full-time commitments as he battled the disease. A part of his therapy consisted of returning to the wheel, where the race wins he scored will forever live in the hearts and minds of race fans.
To commemorate the 10th year since Richards’ untimely passing, the Repco Garage has listed 10 great moments in JR’s career.
10. NZ Touring Car Champion (98-99-00)
Richards first hit the motorsport scene in his home country of New Zealand during the late 90s with International Motorsport. He immediately achieved success in his debut season in 1997-98 with the BMW 325i, taking six podiums and three pole positions as he charged his way to fourth in the standings. His greatest success was still to come in the following years, winning three titles in-a-row during the 98/99, 99/00 and 00/01 seasons. At just 22 years old, Richards took 31 race wins, 38 podiums and 23 pole positions
9. Supercars debut
Richards debuted in the Supercars Championship with Team Kiwi Racing alongside Angus Fogg at the 2000 Great Race. The pair qualified 23rd and steered clear of trouble through the wet and wild conditions to bring the Team Kiwi Commodore home in 16th place – a remarkable effort amongst a 55 car field. While this was his Supercars debut, he already had experience in The Great Race in both the Super Touring 1000s in 1997 and 1998. Unfortunately, both of those races were cut short due to mechanical failures.
8. JR’s Roll Overs
Richards’ bruising moments at Pukekohe and Queensland Raceway go down as two of the most iconic Supercars crashes in history. In his third full-time year in the main game, JR rolled his Team Dynamik Commodore at Pukekohe’s Turn 2-3 complex after getting loose through the fast right hander at Turn 1. It sent him into a spin before launching off a tyre bundle at high speed and rolling before the Commodore gently ended the incident on its roof This ruled him out of the weekend. Two years later at Queensland Raceway, Richards tangled with Paul Morris resulting in the Tasman Motorsport launching off the kerb into a series of barrel rolls. Richards emerged dazed, suffering a cracked rib.
7. Richards first Supercars win
Richards took his first and only Supercars win at Winton in 2006, driving for Tasman Motorsport. It was a win that won’t be remembered fondly, though, as it came in a full-field reverse grid race. That year, Supercars implemented a reverse grid race at most events in an attempt to bolster the on-track excitement, however was scrapped at the end of the season.
6. 2009 Bathurst 1000 Podium
In 2009, Richards joined Brad Jones Racing and paired with Cameron McConville for the Bathurst 1000. Richards took provisional pole and started the race from eighth but late in the race Richards was in amongst a five-car battle for the final podium places with 10 laps remaining. A late race safety car enabled Richards to attack second placed Todd Kelly at Forrest’s Elbow to finish the race in second.
5. Grand Prix Second 2011
Richards final race in a Supercar came at the support races for the 2011 Australian Grand Prix. Richards qualified in the top 10 as everyone watched on in awe as he battled Garth Tander to take second place. The event was in the midst of his cancer treatment, and although he finished second on track, it forever is regarded as one of the most inspiring moments the sport has witnessed.
4. Sandown/Bathurst 2005
Richards and regular Tasman Motorsport teammate Jamie Whincup paired for the 2005 enduro season, which proved successful for the duo. The pair took podiums at both races challenging the likes of Triple Eight Race Engineering and the Holden Racing Team.
3. 2003 Sandown 500
The 2003 Sandown 500 will be known for three things; hail, Commodore electrics and Jason Richards. Driving the Team Dynamik VY Commodore alongside Simon Wills, Richards took the fight to Mark Skaife during the closing stages until he was forced wide and remained stuck in the Dandenong Road sand trap. Although he failed to finish the race, it highlighted the talent of Richards.
2. 2009 Darwin pole position
Richards took his maiden pole position by the tightest margins of 0.0515 in Darwin, pipping former team-mate Jamie Whincup. Richards was the final car out for the shootout as he aimed to end a streak of poor race results, which yielded just three top 10 finishes in the opening eight races. The result was popular in the paddock, especially after BJR’s wild celebrations in the wake of the result.
1. 2011 Super2
After Richards was diagnosed with cancer at the end of the 2010 season, the Kiwi returned for a one-off race event in the Super2 Series at the 2011 Clipsal 500. It was an emotional start as he held off a charging Scott McLaughlin to win the final race of the weekend, sealing a popular result.