By Andrew Gourdie
The motorsport community continues to mourn the loss of Kiwi V8 driver Jason Richards, who has died of cancer at the age of 35.
The tributes have been led by fellow New Zealand v8 drivers, who say Richards battled his illness with the same determination he showed on the track.
Richards was a ferocious competitor who loved to drive and who refused to stop - even when he knew his race with cancer was one he would not win.
He played a pro-am golf tournament in Melbourne on Wednesday - the day before he passed away.
V8 veteran Paul Radisich remembers when Richards burst onto the Australian scene in 2000 - and quickly found out about his nature on and off the track during a close encounter at Winton.
“I think he came off second best and he came around to the pit and there was Jason, he always had a smile on his face even when he was angry,” says Radisich.
Richards was a three-time runner-up at Bathurst, including in 2008 alongside another Kiwi V8 icon, Greg Murphy.
Murphy and Richards forged a great friendship during their time with Tasman motorsport - the last time Murphy saw his mate was at a driver's Christmas function last Friday, and Richards was “still the smiley, positive boy that we know,” says Murphy.
A memorial service will be held at Sandown in the coming weeks, while the NZ V8 series will honour Richards with a minute's silence before the next round of racing at Teretonga in January.
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