Richards died of a rare cancer form at just 35 years old in 2011. In the wake of his tragic death, Supercars established the Jason Richards Memorial Trophy.
The trophy has been awarded to the driver who accumulates the most points during the New Zealand leg of the season.
For Tickford Racing’s Thomas Randle, winning the coveted trophy would carry added meaning.
Randle was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2020 but thankfully recovered from the disease after chemotherapy treatment. He’s been a vocal advocate for cancer awareness since.
The #55 Castrol Racing Ford Mustang driver will have a chance to win the Jason Richards Memorial Trophy at the ITM Taupo Super 440 on April 11-13.
“I’d love to win the Jason Richards Memorial Trophy, and it’s so great that they’ve had that trophy named after Jason for so many years now,” said Randle.
“What Jason not only brought as a driver but as a human, as a person, to the sport in Supercars, and I guess the battle that he went through at the end – to still be racing through that, that’s something that inspired me through my own personal challenges a few years ago.
“It would mean a lot to win that trophy.”
Randle started his season with a third place finish in Race 1 at Sydney Motorsport Park but hasn’t been able to better that or replicate it since.
A tough time at the Melbourne SuperSprint dropped him to ninth in the standings, but the 28-year-old is still optimistic.
“First race of the year on the podium, double podium, Cam had an excellent first round in Sydney, but with the grand prix, the most recent round for us was probably not what we would have liked,” said Randle.
“Probably our one-lap pace was where we struggled. We were stronger in the races but we didn’t really get to show it. There were a few incidents on track, we had a few little dramas here and there, and then obviously the last race got cancelled.
“I’m sure we’ll be all good once we get to New Zealand for the next round in a few weeks in Taupō and we’ll be putting on a show for all the New Zealand fans.
“As a team we did struggle there last year. We were quite strong in the wet but not so much in the dry, so I think we’ve learned a bit since last year from that track.
“It’s quite a unique circuit. There are quite a lot of different changes in track surface. There are some good surface areas of the track and then some really poor track surfaces as well, so just trying to find a good car balance to suit them both and look after the tyre.
“We will be going there on the 2025 soft, which is different to the tyre that we raced last year. Another thing to add to the mix but I think it’s going to be a great weekend I hope.”
