V8 driver Jason Richards dies after cancer fight, aged 35

Jason Richards

V8 Supercar driver Jason Richards has died after a 14-month battle with cancer. Richards died at his Melbourne home last night, V8 Supercar officials and Holden have confirmed. The New Zealander was 35. Richards had been fighting a rare and aggressive form of cancer called adrenocortical carcinoma.

Just over a year after being diagnosed with a particularly aggressive form of the disease, he died at home with his wife Charlotte beside him.

Richards fought as hard as he could and refused to give up on his racing career until he was too weak to drive.

He managed an amazing third-fastest practice time in his final V8 Supercar drive at Darwin this year.

Jason Richards with his wife and two daughters

During his fight with cancer, Richards told News Limited he was enjoying racing more than ever.

"At the moment, cancer is a big part of my life. But when I jump in the racecar I feel cancer-free," Richards told the Herald Sun in May.

"I'm so busy I don't have the capacity to be thinking about cancer. I don't feel sorry for myself. I get so much enjoyment out of it.

"I'm actually enjoying my racing more now than when it was fulltime. I'm doing it purely for fun, for my own emotional reasons," he said.

"I'm sucking the fun out of it. I'm just happy to be feeling like a normal healthy 35-year-old with two lovely kids and a great wife … For me, my clarity is racing a car. It's so refreshing. If I can inspire people who have what's happening for me, that's a real positive."