RIP Jason Richards

[Hamster]

Bottom post of the previous page:

Can only hope for the best for poor Jason.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Jason Richards pulls out of V8 enduros

I had not heard much lately about any progress in the battle that Jason is currently undergoing with his cancer, and I guess, having seen him run at the Clipsal and other race meetings earlier in the year, then of his testing at Winton followed by the confirmation targeting his return to V8's for the enduros with some pleasure, and was hopeful that was indicative of good news in his battle.

Unfortunately, that is not the case, and so it was with some sadness that I read today that his battle has not progressed as we had all hoped it would, so much so that he has officially had to withdraw from the two events he had planned and looked forward to so much, the L&H 500 and then Bathurst.

*The L&H 500 at Phillip Island is from September 16-18 with the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 from October 6th - 9th.

At this stage he still plans to be at the events, but, unfortunately it is to 'only' be there as 'part of the team', in an advisory capacity. Knowing how much he had been looking forward to particularly competing at Bathurst, where he has traditionally featured so strongly in the past dozen and more years, and this of course is not what we wanted to be reading now any more than he would have enjoyed issuing the news of his poor health forced withdrawal.

I am sure I speak on behalf of all Fastlane members in wishing Jason the very best of luck with his ongoing treatment for what appears to be a battle that is increasing in its difficulty, with, from reading between the lines, absolutely no progress having been made to date.

Our thoughts and prayers are with you Jason, hoping to hear of some miracle turnaround in the near future. Don't give up the battle. Here is an article from Speedcafe confirming the bad news, and the changes to the planned driver lineup within the BOC Brad Jones Racing team.

Due to his ongoing battle with Adrenocortical Carcinoma, Richards has elected to stay on the sidelines while he fights his rare and aggressive form of cancer. It will be the first V8 Supercars endurance races that the popular Kiwi will miss since his V8 debut at Bathurst in 2000.

Andrew Jones, who partnered Richards to third place in last year’s L&H 500 at Phillip Island, will stand in for the Team BOC driver alongside Jason Bright.

The shuffle means that Shane Price will partner Jason Bargwanna in the #14 Jana Living Racing Commodore.

Jason is as one would expect from him, still meeting his battle against his condition with the almost ever present smile and 'shit happens' attitude that has been present since we first heard of the news he was ill last November, but for the first time now, Richards has confirmed what in the back of our minds we all feared, that his scans have in reality progressively got worse and with no positive signs of future progress is now admitting that his health is more important that the biggest races on the V8 Supercars calendar.

“Although I’m feeling really good at the moment, I haven’t solved my health problems,” Richards said.

“I was hoping to have something by now to indicate we could win the battle with this cancer but ultimately it’s not been the case. Every scan I’ve had has got worse and worse and I’ve not been able to put the brakes on it.

“I have periods where I feel really good and periods when I’m not so good and it’s too hard to determine when they’re going to be. I didn’t want to let the team down.

“I think it would have been my 15th Bathurst and it’s pretty disappointing not to be participating but that’s what life dishes out.

“I still feel like I want to have some input so I will be at Phillip Island pestering everybody and putting my five cents-worth in. I’m still part of the team and keen to be involved.

“It’s actually quite good being a fly on the wall. You pick up a lot more stuff that you miss when you’re more involved. Brad and I have had lots of conversations about what’s happened at the race weekends and we quite frequently totally agree. It’s good to have more eyes and ears in these bigger races and my experience can add a lot of value.

“The cars were so competitive last year and, to be honest, if Brighty doesn’t win I’ll be disappointed.”

Team co-owner Brad Jones was quick to join in with his own words, obviously agreeing that Richards’ health is the priority.

“I don’t think there’s one team member, including the drivers, who wouldn’t like JR to be driving the car but his health is the most important thing in the world and clearly he’s still got a titanic battle on his hands,” Jones said.

“It will be great to have him at the event. We talk regularly about the racing and he has a really good feel for what’s going on. He’s still very much part of the team. 

“I think Jonesy will make a great substitute. He and JR came third at Phillip Island last year and hopefully Brighty and Jonesy can go a bit further for the team and for JR.”

[Everso Biggyballies]

Just to add to my post above here is a video release of an interview with the two Jason's, Richards at home and Brighty from pitlane whilst testing....

[DoubleFault]

it's not sounding good. Made me feel quite sick reading it.

[Everso Biggyballies]

it's not sounding good. Made me feel quite sick reading it.

Me too. It gave me a lump in the throat, especially as I once met him very briefly at a Historic meeting..... Like a number of the professional drivers such as John Bowe, Glen Seton, Jim Richards etc, he loves historic car racing, and often used to appear to do a guest drive in someone or other's car at the Muscle Masters, and other historic touring car events .

Edit: Just read that he was in fact driving at the Muscle Car Masters on Father's day, earlier this month (4th Sept), driving a borrowed Porsche. Perhaps his decision today might have been based on how he coped with that weekend?

[Cheeveer]

Shit

[Everso Biggyballies]

Just read that he was in fact driving at the Muscle Car Masters on Father's day, earlier this month (4th Sept), driving a borrowed Porsche. Perhaps his decision today might have been based on how he coped with that weekend?

Got to admire Jason's attitude in all this carry on....
A bit of reading had me discover that he actually had quite a full day at 'the Masters'..... he drove a Torana A9X in the Historic Touring Car races, coming 2nd in the first one before winning the second.

The best bit: Jason entered under the fabulous name of Team Fcuk Cancer, driver Jason Richards.

Porsche also gave him a drive of the historic 917 that was there for demo purposes. Well done Porsche.

[Hamster]

Fantastic name.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Jason Richards WILL compete at Mount Panorama

OK, before we all get overly excited, yes he will be appearing at Mt panorama to drive, but not in the feature 1000k event. Instead he has been confirmed to be driving an HQ Holden in the Touring Car Masters class for the support races.

Richards has planned on attending the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 with his regular V8 team Brad Jones Racing, but says he is looking forward to the trip even more now that he has a race seat.

A friend of mine I know from my days of racing in the Historic Tourers, Tony Hunter, who happens to be the owner of Sunliner Caravans (probably the largest caravan and motorhome supplier certainly in Victoria) and regular competitor in the Historic Touring Car Masters driving a 280kph 1971 Holden HQ Monaro, with 600+ bhp 350 Chevy engine has kindly offered Jason not only the use of the Monaro at Bathurst, but thrown in a motorhome as well so Jason can make it an event for his whole family to enjoy.

“John Bowe and Tony Hunter were the instigators of it. They’ve got it up and running,”
“Tony is lending me his HQ Holden, and a motorhome, so we’re going to do a bit of a family trip up to Bathurst.
“I’m looking forward to it. I enjoy racing those types of cars. I enjoyed racing in the Muscle Car Masters in the Torana, and that is one of the reasons why this came up.”

This is the car he will be driving


Far better news though..... it has been a great week for Jason, who also received news from his doctors that the growth of his cancer has actually been stemmed. Having it not grow any more is obviously brilliant news after months of continued growth, despite varied treatments, and gives tremendous hope for the future that the lack of growth can be turned into reducing the size. I guess further surgery will be on the cards, but having already had one 5kg tumour removed a few months ago it will be a big ask of his body in general.

None the less it is a shaft of hope that we pray will be the precursor of further good news.

[Sam]

Nice to hear some good news for a change

[DoubleFault]

Reading Positives about Stoneman reminded me of Richards and how the battle seemed to be going in the wrong direction. Has there been any news since September?

Tbh, I'm not expecting anything good but really hope there is something positive.

[Everso Biggyballies]

Reading Positives about Stoneman reminded me of Richards and how the battle seemed to be going in the wrong direction. Has there been any news since September?

Tbh, I'm not expecting anything good but really hope there is something positive.

There was some news that was not very widely reported last week..... not very good news at all I am afraid.

Mark Beretta (one of the V8SC TV reporters) interviewed Jason Richards and it was said that he recieved bad news about the cancer. He said that it had progressed to the bone, which means he now has cancer in the liver, lung and bone. I dont think I need to add any prognosis.

Jason Richards Facebook / fan page.

In fact I found the interview. Unbelievable how he can smile at a time like this. I had to grab the tissues for an emotional moment. Be warned. He has also lost 8 kgs in the last month or so.

Warning

[FloP]

Unbelievable how he can smile at a time like this.

I can totally relate to that. He must be a great character to deal with his illness in such a way. My very best wishes and hats off to him, indeed!

[theracer120]

THE V8 Supercar community is in deep mourning with the tragic passing of popular driver Jason Richards.

The New Zealander passed away peacefully last night at 8.00pm after a brave battle with Adreno Cortical Carcinoma (ACC), with which he was first diagnosed in November last year.

A native of Nelson in New Zealand but a resident of Melbourne for the last six years, Richards is survived by wife Charlotte and young daughters Sienna and Olivia.

Bright, enthusiastic and popular among fellow drivers and fans alike, the inspirational racer’s illness galvanized the V8 Supercar paddock over the last 12 months as it rallied to support one of its truly good guys.

The fact that rival teams, drivers and manufacturers came together to help him in whatever way possible showed exactly the sort of standing he was held in by the Australasian racing community.

A part of the V8 Supercars Championship for the last decade, Richards tackled his illness with the same vigour he had approached 131 event starts since 2000 in the toughest championship in this part of the world.

His ability to extract maximum speed over one flying lap made him a favourite to watch among his fellow drivers – many of whom had nicknamed him ‘Racin’ Jason’ - but it was his classy, courageous and quite public battle with cancer that topped all of his achievements on track.

His passion for life, love of his young family, love of the sport he was so engrossed in and his positive attitude and determination in the face of adversity made him an inspiration to all.

Richards started 131 V8 Supercars Championship events and 284 individual races after making his debut with Team Kiwi Racing at Bathurst in 2000.

He also made 10 non-championship event starts in this time at the Australian F1 Grand Prix support events at Albert Park, the last coming this year as he returned for a one-off appearance.

He drove for the ‘All-Black’ Team Kiwi squad for three years when it first came into V8 Supercars in 2000 before joining the brand-new Team Dynamik in 2003 in Adelaide.

He moved to Sydney to drive for Tasman Motorsport in 2004 (moving to Melbourne along with the squad a year later) and spent five years with the team before finding a happy home with Albury-based Brad Jones Racing and Team BOC from 2009 onwards.

Diagnosed with the rare form of cancer in November last year, Richards stepped out of his full-time drive after the Symmons Plains event to focus his energies on fighting his illness.

Despite not making a V8 Supercars Championship race start this year, Richards took part in a range of co-driver practice sessions earlier in the year and tested the #8 Team BOC Commodore in between treatments.

He won an emotional race in a one-off appearance in the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series in Adelaide driving one of his old Tasman Commodores for Greg Murphy Racing and also drove a Ferrari in the Australian GT Championship on the same weekend.

He made his last trip to Mount Panorama in October, driving an HQ Monaro in the popular Touring Car Masters category. A runner-up result on Sunday morning before The Great Race to Glenn Seton was met with universal acclaim up and down pit lane.

His last race appearance in a V8 Supercar came at this year’s non-championship Albert Park 400, where a gutsy Richards qualified a brilliant fifth and claimed a brilliant second place in Race 2 after leading early.

It was simply a day that those present won’t soon forget.

A three-time Bathurst 1000 runner-up (with Jamie Whincup in 2005, Greg Murphy in 2008 and Cameron McConville in 2009), Richards made 13 starts in Australia’s most famous race, the first in a BMW 320i in 1997.

His only V8 Supercars Championship race win came at Winton in 2006, though he stood on the podium on six occasions, the last at Phillip Island’s L&H 500 last year when he finished third with Andrew Jones.

His single pole position came at Darwin’s Hidden Valley Raceway in 2009 – the pole also the first for Brad Jones Racing in the V8 Supercars Championship.

Richards was a long-time Telstra ambassador and BigPond Sport and V8 Supercars pass on our deep and heartfelt condolences to Jason’s family, friends and fans.

We have all lost a great friend.

A memorial service to honour Jason and his career will be held at Sandown in the coming weeks.

Brad Jones Racing and Team BOC will have a special Jason Richards website operational

RIP Jason, you were a great guy.

The website is:
http://jasonrichards.bradjonesracing.com.au/

[kals]

That is sad. RIP Jason. Throughout this he seemed to never stopped smiling.

[Ian-S]

That's a shame, RIP.