Race Flashback: Jim Richards and Bathurst

Since 1974, he hasn’t missed a year at Bathurst. Jim Richards has seven wins at the Mountain to his name – the most of any living driver.

And while he no longer competes in the main V8 Supercars series, his final run back in 2006, he will once again make the trip to contest the Touring Car Masters and support his son Steve.

The Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 is the greatest race on the calendar and is steeped in history because of the victories and heartbreaks faced by those who have taken on the challenge of driving there.

But it also has a family spirit – so many in the sport, and not just those behind the wheel, have picked up their love of motorsport from their fathers or family members. Something the Richards family perpetuates.

“We’ve always gone up as a family, you might say – I think I’ve flown up about twice in 38 years,” Richards told v8supercars.com.au.

For Richards, the memories are mostly all positive, especially after getting off to such a good start, in a Holden Torana LH.

“The very first time I went there was in 1974 with a friend of mine from New Zealand and he owned the car – Rod Coppins,” Richards said.

“And we’d never seen the place before – needless driven there – we came third outright.

“So that was a fantastic result for us, as rookies from New Zealand who had never seen the place, so we were absolutely rapt.

“But of course the wins we’ve had there, the three with Brocky (Peter Brock, 1978-80) were terrific.

“Probably the wins in the Nissans in ‘91 and ‘92 were good highlights for me because I was lead driver in the team at that stage and it was more like my wins, where the ones with Brocky were sort of Brocky’s wins really, but I tagged along.

“And then 2002 when Mark Skaife and I won again 10 years after winning it in 1992.

“And of course Steve Richards, my son, and I came second in 1997 – so that to me was as good as a win to me, because I don’t think any father and son have done that together. That was great.

“Of all the races I’ve had up there, I haven’t had that many that I’ve thought, ‘oh gee, I didn’t like that one much’.

“They only come round once a year so you’ve got to cherish them while you can.”

Many will remember Steve and Jim’s more recent drive together in 2004. Steve qualified the red Castrol VY Commodore on pole, and the two were in for a good showing before hitting a kangaroo late in the 161-lap race.

“We had a few hiccups, but we were running around the top four when we hit the kangaroo. So who knows what could have happened, you never know – we could have won that race. But we didn’t!

“That’s just one of those things, like Glenn Seton – he’s won the Touring Car Championship, he’s competed at Bathurst a lot and he never, ever got a win. He came within six laps of getting a win and the motor broke down so lots of things can happen on that one day – you can get a puncture, you can get something from another guy’s car damage (yours), put you in the pits – so many different things can happen, it’s never over until it’s over.”

With Richards mentioning 1992 as one of the highlights, it’s hard not to immediately think of his now infamous podium speech, putting a disrespectful crowd in its place.

The race had to be called after a wet-weather induced pile up and while Richards’ Nissan, shared with Mark Skaife, ended up in the pile, a one-lap count back saw them take victory over a dirty Dick Johnson and John Bowe.

How does Richards feel about the controversy now?

“That happened a long time ago but if people remember, that’s good for the sport!

“That was one of those things. The funny part about it was although Dick thought he’d won when the race was red flagged, I think Dick won a race exactly the same way where the race was stopped! So, it’s both ways.

“I’ve been pretty lucky I haven’t had that many DNFs up there, it’s been terrific.”

Who is Richards’ pick for a win this year?

“I’m hoping FPR – Mark Winterbottom and my son Steve – can have a really good run because they’ve had some terrible runs up there. (They’ve been) in contention, they’ve led the race for a long time, they’ve done everything right and then a pit stop let them down, or a flat tyre or battery coming loose, things you can’t count on.

“You do everything in your power to make sure everything’s ok, but silly little things can let you down. So I’m hoping that they do extra well.

“I think Jamie Whincup is a brilliant driver and I think he will do well, but wouldn’t it be fantastic to have a Mercedes Benz or a Nissan on the podium? It would be absolutely brilliant.”

Though he’s now contesting support category the Touring Car Masters, Richards is leading the series with his 1964 Ford Falcon Sprint, and a bag of points at Bathurst would be handy.

He describes the category as his relaxation. “I’m looking forward to it as I always do, I love the cars and all the boys at the front are competitive as anything, so as long as you have a good race and no dents on the car, I’ll be happy.

“It’d be great to see a few more of the ex-V8 drivers (who) could maybe come and have a run occasionally in the class, or maybe get cars themselves, because it’s a relaxed way of staying in the sport, it’s good fun, and they’d be amazed, the guys retiring, that you could have so much fun in the class without the pressure.”

The Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 begins on Thursday October 10, with the V8 Supercars, Touring Car Masters and more to entertain – tickets are still available for the Great Race.