RIP Jason Richards

WTCC, BTCC, DTM and Aussie V8s
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Everso Biggyballies
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#46

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

Bottom post of the previous page:

FloP wrote:What an emotional read, what a tragic loss! RIP Jason, your legend will live on! :rip:
I have found Jason's passing probably more emotionally affecting personally than others, and it seems I am not alone. Perhaps it is because of his overall demeanour and the attitude with which he approached this awful sickness.

Amazingly, being a golf lover, Jason was determined to meet a commitment to play in a Pro-Am event last Wednesday. He practised on the Tuesday played the event on the Wednesday..... and then passed away Thursday.

Talking of an emotional read, this is from John Bowe, probably one of the least emotional, hardest nosed and most uncompromising of Motor Racing professionals that one would ever have seen. Competes now in his retirement in his own Camaro for the Touring Car Masters (The current Champion I am pretty sure), and is certainly one of the greatest all time locals... he was a multi category champion over the last few decades, from Touring Cars to Sports Sedans, Big (Can-Am equivalent) Sportscars, to Aus F1 and F2 open wheelers. He is also a multiple Bathurst 1000 klms winner.

John has opened up about the passing of Jason Richards – his neighbour, rival and friend. The Richards family live on the same street as Bowe in Melbourne’s Bayside area. While Richards and Bowe spent the first years of their relationship as rivals in the V8 Supercars arena, they quickly developed a strong friendship that was solidified when the pair became neighbours.
John Bowe wrote:Bowe says that he and other close friends of Richards were praying for a miracle cure to his rare and aggressive form of cancer – adrenal cortical carcinoma.
While the cure never came, Bowe says his mate fought until the very end.
“I knew the degree of his illness, as his inner-circle did, and we all hung on to this hope of a miracle drug,”

“He tried everything. He researched around the world, he went to America. He was about to start a new drug that was developed in Sydney. It was just going through ethics committee.

“Every time something else came up, we all had the hope that it was going to be the one to stem his bloody terrible illness. He just fought on and on.”

When Richards was diagnosed with the disease in November 2010, it became clear very quickly that the Kiwi was not going to let it stop him enjoying his life.

Despite the debilitating nature of the cancer, he continued to play an active role with both of his families – at home and at the race track.

Richards competed in two V8 Supercars races earlier this year while on a break from chemo, plus a number of selected races in other classes.

Every time he sat in a race car, he was competitive, remarkably winning on debut in the Fujitsu V8 Supercars Series at the Clipsal 500, before finishing second in Race 2 of the Albert Park 400 main series event a week later. As highlighted in my previous post, Jason came very close to winning a couple of races at Bathurst driving in the Touring Car Masters support event only last month. He did win in September, when he piloted the Holden Dealer Team A9X Torana to an incredible win in the Muscle Car Masters (not to be confused with Touring Car Masters :wink: ) in front of a packed Eastern Creek.

One of Richards’ favourite sayings during his illness was that competing in a motor race was his own personal treatment.

When his body became too weak to race, he turned to his other sporting love – golf.
Image
Jason Richards (far left) on Wednesday during the Australian Masters Pro/Am with Golfer Richard Green, Geelong footballer Tom Hawkins and NRL’s Sydney Roosters rugby league star Braith Anasta. Green had specifically asked to be in the group with Richards, with the pair being close friends.

Anasta said Jason was a "golf tragic", but could play too. "His short game was immaculate and he was still hitting the ball really well," Anasta said.
"My heart really goes out to his family. What a great bloke."

Bowe says that his golf gave him a competitive outlet in his final days. “On Tuesday, he spent the day practicing his golf, and then on Wednesday, he played with Richard Green, a good mate of his, in the Pro/Am Masters,” said Bowe. "Greeny and Jason were perfect for each other. One wanted to be a racing driver and one wanted to be a pro golfer.

"Greeny used to ask him what sort of driver he thought he'd make. Jason used to joke about the equivalent of a 15-handicapper.

“That was one of his goals. He loved golf and he got out there and did it.
“At the end of the day, he was absolutely stuffed, but I could tell that it was mentally helping him.” Jason used a buggy throughout most of the round but he seemed to cope well....

"It will take some time for the Australian and international motorsport communities to come to terms with Richards’ passing." Even for Bowe, who knew the full extent of JR’s fading health, his mate’s passing is hard to fathom.

“I’m devastated, but I’m not as devastated as his immediate family,” said Bowe.
“He’s an amazing bloke. I spent a lot of time with him. I saw a resilience, a determination and a passion that is very rare. I feel so much for his little kids, and for him, that he’s not going to see them grow and do all the things that a father should.

“There’s no words that do the situation justice. I’m still in shock. It’s just very tragic and very sad.
“I have awesome memories of our time together, as most do, because he was a hard bloke not to love. He was one very amazing individual.”

* I started life with nothing, and still have most of it left


“Good drivers have dead flies on the side windows!” (Walter Röhrl)

* I married Miss Right. Just didn't know her first name was Always
Sam
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#47

Post by Sam »

Someone posted this on Facebook on saturday. I thought it was an interesting insight to mind of someone in Jason's situation.

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Everso Biggyballies
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Car(s) Currently Owned: Audi SQ5 3.0L V6 TwinTurbo
Location: Just moved 3 klms further away so now 11 klms from Albert Park, Melbourne.

#48

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

I had not seen that Sam, so thanks for pointing it out and bringing it to our attention.
I have to say that my respect for, and admiration of Jason has long been elevated to a well deserved height up there with the best.

I am simply astounded by his general attitude and approach to life through, moreso his ability to take it all with barely a shit happen's type of complaint, maintaining the smile and happiness of a lottery winner has certainly been inspirational to many.

What I was trying to get to was that whatever heights my respect and admiration for Jason might have been, are now another quantum lap higher. This video clip and interview has just knocked me over.

Talk about lumps in my throat......

* I started life with nothing, and still have most of it left


“Good drivers have dead flies on the side windows!” (Walter Röhrl)

* I married Miss Right. Just didn't know her first name was Always
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Hamster
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#49

Post by Hamster »

They played that on the news over here last Friday. I don't believe many - including myself - could show that level of resolve.
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Everso Biggyballies
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Real Name: Chris
Favourite Motorsport: Anything that goes left and right.
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Favourite Driver: Kimi,Niki,Jim(none called Michael)
Favourite Circuit: Nordschleife, Spa, Mt Panorama.
Car(s) Currently Owned: Audi SQ5 3.0L V6 TwinTurbo
Location: Just moved 3 klms further away so now 11 klms from Albert Park, Melbourne.

#50

Post by Everso Biggyballies »

BOWE MUSTANG PAYS TRIBUTE TO JASON RICHARDS

This is quite a nice touch, in memory of his neighbour and great mate, Jason Richards.
John Bowe will race with a tribute to his late friend Jason Richards on the roof of his Touring Car Masters Ford Mustang this season.

Former V8 Supercars Championship driver Richards passed away in December last year following a 14 month battle with cancer.

Bowe was a close friend, neighbour and occasional on-track rival of Richards, and says that the tribute will ensure Richards remains part of his racing efforts.

“Jason was a really good friend of Alice and I and we loved him dearly so we wanted him to stay with us,” said Bowe.
“He and I had this pic taken at Coventry Studios when the Bid4Jase Porsche (Carrera Cup Car) was launched for Townsville last year so it’s quite a nice non-racing photograph.

“I’ve put a copy up in my office so when Scott (Yorston) from ssMEDIA suggested we put it on the roof and keep Jase racing with us, it was a given that we’d go ahead and keep him racing.

Image

“Jason really enjoyed his time with the Touring Car Masters at Bathurst, and he has our record there now so he’ll always have a special place with us and this is something special.”

The 2012 Touring Car Masters series kicks off at the Clipsal 500 Adelaide, today, with Bowe topping the first two practice sessions of the day. A total of 25 cars are competing this weekend, with Jim Richards debuting his AMC Javelin, and former series winner Gavin Bullas returning to the class in his Ford Mustang.

* I started life with nothing, and still have most of it left


“Good drivers have dead flies on the side windows!” (Walter Röhrl)

* I married Miss Right. Just didn't know her first name was Always
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