He went full throttle right to the end and will always be remembered as a racer's racer who refused to concede defeat.
At Hidden Valley in Darwin this year he almost literally killed himself with the massive effort he put into his final V8 Supercar practice session. Somehow he dragged his Team BOC car around for the third-quickest lap time, before being carried from the car.
That was Jase.
Every time he left the V8 Supercar pitlane it was like watching a hand grenade with the pin out and the safety catch off.
"You always know he's going to give you everything. He never leaves anything on the shelf," team manager Kim Jones told me once at Bathurst.
Richards was amazing at Mount Panorama, at a track that rewarded and reflected his natural driving gift and incredible commitment. He was runner-up twice in the Bathurst 1000 in unfancied cars and wore a huge grin every time he got out of the car.
He made some mistakes, but he was always one to watch.
That was pretty much the story from the time he arrived in Australia, as a highly-touted BMW factory racer. He was on the gas all the time and it there was never any doubt that he would graduate to V8 Supercar racing.
He struggled at first with Team Kiwi, but showed plenty of pace with both Team Dynamik and Tasman Motorsport before finally founding the perfect match with Brad Jones and his working-class Albury outfit. The Jones brothers live to race and so did Richards.
Anyone can find a list of Richards' results, but spending time with him revealed so much more.
He was infectiously enthusiastic about everything he did, from his racing to hobbies, his wife and young children and - so sadly - his battle against cancer.
The last time we spoke, at Winton Raceway earlier this year, he looked happy and healthy and refused to be downbeat.
"At the moment, cancer is a big part of my life. But when I jump in the racecar I feel cancer-free," he told me.
"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."
As we parted, he said the words that will stay with me forever.
"Cancer, depression, I'm sure there are a whole bunch of things in the world. Anyone who is not feeling happy in life needs to find the thing that makes you happy and go do it.
"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."
