Jason Richards
| Jason Richards | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | New Zealand |
| Born |
10 April 1976 Nelson, New Zealand |
| Died | 15 December 2011 (aged 35) Melbourne, Victoria |
| Retired | 2011 |
| V8 Supercar Championship Series | |
| Years active | 2000–2010 |
| Teams |
Team Kiwi Racing Team Dynamik Tasman Motorsport Brad Jones Racing |
| Starts | 131 |
| Wins | 1 |
| Poles | 2 |
| Fastest laps | 1 |
| Best finish | 14th in 2004, 2007 & 2009 |
| Previous series | |
| 1985–93 1994 1995 1995 1995–2000 2011 2011 |
Karts New Zealand Mini 7's New Zealand Formula Ford British Formula Ford Championship New Zealand Touring Car Championship Australian GT Championship Development V8 Supercar |
| Championship titles | |
| 1998/99,1999/00, 2000/01 | New Zealand Touring Car Championship |
Jason John Richards (10 April 1976 – 15 December 2011) was a New Zealand motor racing driver. A multiple championship winning driver in his homeland in the New Zealand Touring Car Championship, he moved to Australia to pursue a career in the Australian-based V8 Supercar Championship Series. Richards career highlights include finishing second three times in V8 Supercar's most famous race, the Bathurst 1000. Richards died at the age of 35, just over a year after being diagnosed with cancer.
Richards started his motor racing career at the age of eight in 1985, driving in karting events in his home country of New Zealand. He made his move out of karting in 1993 after 35 championship titles, entering the Mini 7s.
After much success again, Richards was offered the Canterbury Racing School Formula Ford drive for the Nissan Mobil 500 meetings at Wellington and Pukekohe.
After a short stint in the English Formula Ford Championship, Richards returned to New Zealand to sign with BMW Motorsport NZ as junior driver, winning the 1995/96 Class 1 Touring Car Championships for the team, along with nine out of 12 series races.
Promoted to lead driver, Richards won the next three NZ Touring Car Championships prior to joining Team Kiwi for the V8 Supercar series in Australia in 2001. Battling testing restrictions and the tyranny of distance, Richards finished an extremely creditable 19th in the 2002 V8 Supercar Series.
Richards moved to the new South Australian Team Dynamik in 2003, putting in some strong results, including a narrow failure to snatch victory in the Sandown 500 from Mark Skaife in the race's dying stages.
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