Motorsport figures worldwide are mourning the loss of New Zealand racing driver Jason Richards, who has succumbed to a long-running battle with cancer at his home in Melbourne.
V8 Supercar driver Greg Murphy told TV ONE's Breakfast this morning that Richards was am incredibly passionate person who will be sorely missed.
"He was so easygoing and wanted to share what he did."
"He was a positive person who always had a smile on his face."
"It will be a battle not having him around."
Fellow V8 Supercar driver Jason Bargwanna, one of Richards' friends as well as his replacement at Brad Jones Racing, remembers him as an amazing bloke.
"He was one of the blokes in pitlane you could actually call a friend, which is not very common," he said.
"He was a fun guy, a happy guy. He had a lot of respect for people, and people had a lot of respect for him."
Bargwanna said Richards held on during his long illness, even when told he had little chance of recovery. "The strength of his mind was unbelievable," he said.
"They [Richards' doctors] said. `look, it's going to end soon', but he refused to give up - he did everything he could to hold on just a little longer, to spend some more time with his family."
Richards' former team, Brad Jones Racing, paid tribute to him yesterday, a day after his death.
"In the competitive world of V8 Supercars Jason was a rare breed - a driver that could tread the fine line between rivalry and friendship," they said.
"He was never secretive, selfish or bad-tempered and had endless enthusiasm and energy for his job and team."
Richards was diagnosed in November 2010 with an extremely rare form of cancer known as adrenocortical carcinoma (cancer of the adrenal gland).
It forced him to stop racing fulltime - however, despite having to endure constant chemotherapy and experimental drug treatments, he still managed to compete on occasions, even while seriously ill.
"My 100% focus has to be my cancer. Racing is now my weekend fun," he said at the time. "Cancer is just as much a mental problem as it is a physical one, and racing for me was all about treatment."
Three times Richards finished runner-up at the Bathurst 1000, the V8 Supercars showcase event, and was known as a specialist in wet weather driving
Richards also won three New Zealand touring car championships, before he moved into the Australian V8 series in 2001.
He was recognised as one of the most competitive drivers in the field, as well as one of the most liked. "He was very confident in his own abilities, which made him a very tough competitor," Bargwanna said. "He was an amazingly strong person. He's someone we'll miss dearly."
