YOUNG GUN: CLAY RICHARDS

Clay Richards has motorsport running through his veins, but is taking a path that is very much his own. Richards chatted to Josh Nevett about growing up among greats and making progress during a pandemic.

The Richards name is synonymous with Australian motorsport, and it is no different when it comes to third generation racer Clay Richards.

Clay is the son of Steven Richards, and grandson of Jim, no doubt you know who they are.

The legendary Kiwi pair have amassed 12 Bathurst 1000 victories between them, while Jim also has four Australian Touring Car Championship titles to his name.

This is undoubtedly where the most junior Richards inherited his passion for motorsport from, but the prospect of becoming a driver himself emerged later down the line.

“As far as I can remember the passion has always been there,” Richards told Auto Action.

“Growing up around racing with dad and grandpa, I’ve always had a passion for it, but I never really got bitten by the bug as they say, until I was about 13.

“I remember I was watching the Sandown 500 and it just clicked, I thought I really, really want to do this. Not long after that I did my first go kart race.”

Karting was an ideal entry point for the raw racer, who treasured spending valuable time with dad.

“I loved karting, especially with dad,” Richards expressed.

“It was just dad and I by ourselves, we had our had our little trailer and basically did as many kart meetings as we could.

“I started out in juniors, and we just did some club level events for the first couple of years. We slowly made our way to state level racing and then soon nationals.”

Richards has since graduated to the Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia 86 Series and Formula Ford.

However, it has been far from a linear journey of progression for the Coldstream local.

Richards stepped out of karts into Victorian Formula Ford in 2019, getting his first taste of competitive action in the back end of the year.

“We only did two races in the Formula Ford in 2019,” Richards remembers.

“I was really lucky to get the help from Brett Lupton from Fastlane Racing, who basically gave us a car for free as long as we looked after it.”

As soon as Richards circuit career began the COVID-19 pandemic set in, restricting him to just 16 races in all categories over the course of his first three years in motorsport proper.

Emerging out of a year devoid of competition, the son of a gun has been intent on making up for lost time by competing in two categories.

Formula Ford has provided success on the state scene, Richards finishing on the podium in every race including a breakthrough victory at Phillip Island.

It was a day that Richards remembers fondly.

“It just felt like a massive weight off the shoulders,” Richards said.

“It was a reminder I can compete with these guys.

“I remember we qualified sixth on the Saturday and I was all stoked with that because we were right in the mix of it.

“Then we got a third in Race 3 and I was even more elated with that, and a second in Race 2.

“It was a big weekend of highs, which obviously doesn’t happen often in motorsport.”

The Toyota 86 Series has been discernibly more challenging.

Richards finished 20th, 24th and 23rd in his debut at Mount Panorama in February, and disappointingly was unclassified across the Townsville round in July due to an error in Race 1 followed by a blown head gasket in the second encounter.

Despite the mixed results, he has still taken valuable learnings and memories from the experience.

“It’s been a difficult start obviously but there are also some high points as well,” Richards reflected.

“Jumping straight into the deep end at Bathurst in Round 1 was definitely something I had to get my head around.

“Just to drive at Bathurst is awesome, it definitely lives up to its expectations.

“Even in Townsville, I qualified 11th which I was really happy about, first time at the track, that was pretty cool as well.”

A tight-knit team of mentors has helped Richards remain cool while navigating mixed fortunes on the track, namely the senior Richards’ and 2007 Supercars Champion and reigning Bathurst 1000 winner Garth Tander.

“My dad and grandpa have obviously been mentors but also Garth Tander,” Richards said.

“He has been a big help to me as well, especially in the early days of first getting into Formula Ford and testing.

“He allowed me to go out in one of his cars and I learned a lot from him in terms of data, and in terms of braking points and lines as well.”

Richards may have the weight of a decorated family history sitting on his young shoulders, but he is intent on channelling the spirit of fun to write his own chapter in the story.

“I’m out there to go out and race for fun for the moment and see where we go from there, but there’s no pressure at all,” Richards explained.

“Every now and then the history is in the back of your head obviously, but overall, I’m not fussed.”

Outside of his motorsport pursuits, Richards doesn’t stray too far from performance machines, working intimately with Porsche products in Melbourne.

“I’m an apprentice automotive mechanic at a Porsche dealership in Doncaster in Melbourne,” Richards said with enthusiasm.

“I’ve been there since December 2018. I’m in my third year and I’m really enjoying it.

“Really cool cars come in and Porsche is my favourite brand as well, so it’s almost like a dream job.”

Now that Richards is firmly entrenched in the business of speed, he could not help but dare to dream when pressed on his ambitions.

“If the opportunity comes, I’d love to go overseas to America and race IndyCar, that’s the big dream.

“Supercars is definitely on the radar as well.

“At the moment, I’m not really thinking too much on that stuff. I’m just enjoying my racing for what it is and doing the best I can on track.

“I guess we have to be grateful for any events we get at the moment.”

Gratitude and enjoyment are the cornerstones of Richards’ approach to motorsport so far, garnering him strong support from within the industry.

One can only assume that once normality returns, Clay Richards will be climbing the ranks with a smile on his face.