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Jason Richards - Source: Photosport -
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Jason Richards lived his life the way he drove on the racetrack. It was the only was he knew how - full throttle.
The motor racing ace, who died last month at the age of 35, was farewelled in at a memorial service in Auckland yesterday.
Colleagues, rivals, friends and family spoke of a man who was a champion both on and off the track.
Richards grew up in Nelson and learned to drive in a paddock around hay bales but went on to become one of the bright stars of New Zealand motorsport, winning the New Zealand Touring Cars championship several times and becoming runner up three times at the Bathurst 1000.
He was diagnosed in November 2010 with an extremely rare form of cancer known as adrenocortical carcinoma. It forced him to stop racing fulltime but, despite having to endure constant chemotherapy and experimental drug treatments, he still managed to compete on occasions, even while seriously ill.
"He was the benchmark, he was the master and a champion," said childhood friend Hamish Cross.
"He was a champion racer and a champion human being."
Speaking at Giltrap Audi, at a ceremony filled with about 400 people, Cross said Richards never forgot where he came from.
He was a Waimea College boy who managed to fail his driver's licence test when he was 15, for going too fast.
Craig Baird said Richards lived life "at full throttle".
Greg Murphy said Richards had told him he did not know any other way of driving.
Often his second lap on the track was his fastest and when he was finished with a race he would always flash his trademark smile.
Murphy did not know any other professional race car driver that loved his job as much as Richards.
He was great to his fans and other drivers could learn a lot from the type of enthusiasm he brought to every aspect of the sport.
"He was phenomenal."
Richards 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 the Sunday morning before The Great Race to Glenn Seton was met with universal acclaim up and down pit lane.
MC Clint Brown said that the service was dedicated to a young driver who was gone too soon.
