Richards retires from Supercars racing
Five-time Bathurst 1000 winner Steve Richards has called time on his Supercars driving career.
The 47-year-old will hang up his helmet after a Supercars career that included 14 seasons as a full-timer and 10 race wins.
Five of those came in the Bathurst 1000, the second-generation star banking Bathurst crowns in 1998, 1999, 2013, 2015 and 2018.
Having made a 27th and final start alongside Mark Winterbottom at Team 18 this year, Richards will now move into a full-time Relationship Manager role with the squad as it expands to two cars for 2020.
"I’ve been in discussion with Charlie and the team regarding an active role for some time," said Richards.
"It's an exciting time at Team 18 and now is the right time to make this decision. I’ll be able to utilize my experience to assist [owner] Charlie [Schwerkolt] and the team drive success both on and off the track and work closely with the incredible team partnerships that have been established.
“I’ve had a fantastic career in Supercars, winning races, competing for championships, and driving with the best teams and drivers in the most competitive touring car championship in the world.
"While I close the door on Supercars I’ll still have some flexibility to continue driving in other categories.”
Schwerkolt added that moving Richards from a driving role into a commercial role will help future-proof the Holden team.
"Really sad day for us to announce Richo is hanging up the helmet on his Supercars career, but his move into the management and commercial side of Team 18 will be great future-proofing for the team," he said.
"We have been chatting about this for a while when Richo first joined the team at the start of the year, but now with the expansion to a two-car operation, the role has really progressed into a full-time role.
"Richo has extensive motorsport knowledge and it's a massive get for our team to have someone of his calibre that can guide and assist all Team 18 properties. I'm really, really proud to have him on board."
Jacobson to race MSR Holden in 2020
Supercars won't mimic F1 engine penalties
Why Courtney and Tickford are a dream match
James Courtney has been around the block in his motorsport career it's fair to say. After a single-seater career cut short, he's won everything there is to win in Supercars. Following a rocky ride recently in the Australian category, he's found a happy hunting ground with Tickford Racing.
How taming his temper shaped Supercars' slow-burn star
His decision to leave Brad Jones Racing was the biggest shock of the Australian Supercars silly season so far. But for Nick Percat, it comes as the culmination of a personal journey that has made him into one of the most rounded drivers in the series, now in search of a seat that can make him a champion
Why replacing Supercars' GOAT with a teenager is worth the risk for T8
On the face of it, picking an 18-year-old rookie to replace arguably the greatest Supercars driver of all time is a risky move. But as Jamie Whincup takes up a team principal role and hands his car to Broc Feeney, it's one that he is confident will be rewarded in the fullness of time - time which wasn't afforded to Whincup in his early days
How Randle went from fighting cancer to battling for Supercars contention
After his fledgling career was paused by a battle with testicular cancer, Thomas Randle then had to wrestle with finding a drive in Supercars after he got the all-clear. It's been a long road for the Melbourne native but, after two lengthy battles, he's finally got a full-time drive to look forward to
How crisis talks over Supercars’ Gen3 future could leave it without a paddle
With Supercars’ Gen3 era on the horizon, a shift is set to take place – in more ways than one – but, as has become clear in recent weeks, the plan to bin the stick and use paddles with electronic assisted shift has been met with fierce opposition
Can DJR still be a Supercars powerhouse after Penske?
Roger Penske's whirlwind Australian Supercars sojourn is over. After six seasons, three drivers' titles, three teams' championships and a Bathurst 1000 crown, The Captain has sold his controlling stake in Dick Johnson Racing back to the squad and walked away from the category.
Can Whincup be Triple Eight's ruthless leader?
Supercars' most successful team of the past 15 years is set for a radical shakeup next year when Jamie Whincup retires from driving and takes over the reins at Triple Eight. But does he have what it takes to be the new Roland Dane?
How a lifetime Supercars deal broke down in one year
David Reynolds inked what was effectively a lifetime deal with Erebus in 2019 – only to walk out a year later. What went wrong?