Paul Radisich
Encyclopedia
Paul Radisich is a New Zealand
racing driver of Croat origin. He has competed in saloon cars for many years - both European-style tourers and the V8 Supercars of Australia and New Zealand.
runner-up
, earning the prestigious Driver To Europe award. In 1985 and 1986 he raced in British Formula 3
, alongside Damon Hill
. He later raced in Indy Lights and Super Vee
with some success, before finishing second in the 1990 Bathurst 1000. This led him towards racing saloon cars full-time.
and 1994
Touring Car World Cup events at Monza
and at Donington
respectively. 1993 was his first British Touring Car Championship
(BTCC) season, in a Ford Mondeo
prepared by Andy Rouse
. He finished 3rd in the series in both 1993 and 1994, but by the end of the 1995 season the car had reached the end of its development cycle and was increasingly uncompetitive in the 1996 season. This was a bad year for the Ford team with no podium places. After racing for Peugeot
in 1998 he left the series and went to the V8 Supercar
series in Australia
.
replacing the departed John Bowe
. He remained with Dick Johnson Racing until the end of 2002. In 2003 he joined Briggs Motor Sport
which was later sold to British outfit Triple Eight Race Engineering in 2004. In total he has three race wins and eight other podium results in the championship.
for 2 years in 2005 racing in a Holden for the first time, helping the team to their first ever podium finish at Shanghai International Circuit
in China, (third). He finished the 2005 season in 14th place, TKR's highest ever finish in a Supercar season.
In the 2006 Supercheap Auto 1000
endurance race at Mount Panorama he had a major crash at around 200 km/h in The Chase. While attempting to overtake Nathan Pretty he ran wide into the dirt and could not brake in time and careered into a tyre wall head on, flipping the car onto its side. Rescue teams had to cut the roof off the car in order to get him out. He was then taken to a nearby hospital and then flown to a hospital in Sydney
for further scans. He broke his ankle
and sternum in the crash and missed the remainder of the season.
In November 2006 it was confirmed that Radisich had signed for a further 2 years with TKR and would once again be back racing in a Ford for 2007-08. He has commented that he has unfinished business in V8 Supercars.
Paul returned to the cockpit at Barbagallo for the first time since Bathurst, to the delight of many fans. He had a very good result at Pukekohe, the final round to be held at that circuit, finishing 7th in the third race.
Ford Performance Racing
terminated its contract to supply and service the TKR Falcon on 31 May 2007. Paul Radisich said he had terminated his contract with TKR following the team's fallout with Ford Performance Racing that ran the car on behalf of TKR.
"TKR is in breach of contract and I have therefore terminated my contract with immediate effect."
and regular drivers Rick Kelly
and Garth Tander
in the Toll HSV ranks for the big endurance races in September and October.
The formal announcement was put on hold until Carrera Cup star and Bathurst rookie David Reynolds was signed and sealed with Super Cheap Auto Racing for the enduros. Reynolds had been in line for a drive with Toll HSV in the big races in September and October, but was happy to transfer to Super Cheap for his V8 Supercar debut without the potential pressure of a fellow drivers championship hanging over him.
At Sandown, Paul was paired with Championship front-runner, Rick Kelly. The car was qualified by Rick Kelly, and they started from 8th position on the grid. Paul and Rick Kelly drove the Number 1 Toll HSV Commodore to 2nd place, 2.8 seconds behind Triple Eight Racing's Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup.
At Bathurst, Paul was paired with Craig Baird. After qualifying 9th after the top-10 shootout, Paul and Craig Baird started strongly, and were running on the fringe of top 10 for the majority of the race, slowed by persistent braking problems which also afflicted their more illustrious team-mates. Ultimately, the team withdrew from the race on lap 137 of 161 so as not to risk damaging Tander and Kelly's race cars for the championship battle to come.
Returning to the team in 2008, Radisich crashed heavily during practice for the 2008 Bathurst 1000, after the throttle jammed open at McPhillamy Park Corner, hitting the concrete wall in a gap in the tyre barriers. Radisich fractured both ankles, reopened the fractured sternum sustained in an accident two years prior, fractured lumbar and thoracic vertebrae, cracked ribs and suffered bruising to his lungs. His recovery has been protracted and brought an end his motor racing career.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
racing driver of Croat origin. He has competed in saloon cars for many years - both European-style tourers and the V8 Supercars of Australia and New Zealand.
Early years
In 1983 he was Formula AtlanticFormula Atlantic
Formula Atlantic is a specification of open wheel racing car developed in the 1970s. It was used in professional racing through the IMSA Atlantic Championship until 2009 and is currently primarily used in amateur racing through Sports Car Club of America Formula Atlantic.-History:The history of...
runner-up
Runner-up
Runner-up is a term used to denote a participant which finishes in second place in any of a variety of competitive endeavors, most notably sporting events and beauty pageants; in the latter instance, the term is applied to more than one of the highest-ranked non-winning contestants, the...
, earning the prestigious Driver To Europe award. In 1985 and 1986 he raced in British Formula 3
British Formula Three Championship
The British Formula Three Championship is an international motor racing series that takes place primarily in the United Kingdom with a small number of events in mainland Europe. It is a junior-level feeder formula that uses small single seater Formula Three chassis. Its current official title is...
, alongside Damon Hill
Damon Hill
Damon Graham Devereux Hill OBE is a retired British racing driver. In 1996 Hill won the Formula One World Championship. As the son of the late Graham Hill, he is the only son of a world champion to win the title...
. He later raced in Indy Lights and Super Vee
Formula Vee
Formula Vee is a popular open wheel, single seater junior motor racing formula, with relatively low costs in comparison to Formula Ford or Formula BMW....
with some success, before finishing second in the 1990 Bathurst 1000. This led him towards racing saloon cars full-time.
European Touring Cars
He won the 19931993 FIA Touring Car World Cup
The 1993 FIA Touring Car World Cup was the first running of the FIA Touring Car World Cup. It was held on October 17, 1993 at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Italy. Paul Radisich won the event after winning both races. Italy was the winning nation....
and 1994
1994 FIA Touring Car World Cup season
The 1994 FIA Touring Car World Cup was the second running of the FIA Touring Car World Cup. It was held on October 16, 1994 at Donington Park in the United Kingdom. Paul Radisich won the event for a second time. Germany was the winning nation.-Entry list:...
Touring Car World Cup events at Monza
Autodromo Nazionale Monza
The Autodromo Nazionale Monza is a race track located near the town of Monza, north of Milan, in Italy. The circuit's biggest event is the Formula One Italian Grand Prix, which has been hosted there since the sport's inception....
and at Donington
Donington Park
Donington Park is a motorsport circuit near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England.Originally part of the Donington Hall estate, it was created as a racing circuit during the pre-war period when the German Silver Arrows were battling for the European Championship...
respectively. 1993 was his first British Touring Car Championship
British Touring Car Championship
The British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom. The Championship was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and has run to various rules over the years – "production cars", then FIA Group 1 or 2 in the late 1960s...
(BTCC) season, in a Ford Mondeo
Ford Mondeo
The Mondeo was launched on 8 January 1993, and sales began on 22 March 1993. Available as a four-door saloon, a five-door hatchback, and a five-door estate, all models for the European market were produced at Ford's plant in the Belgian city of Genk...
prepared by Andy Rouse
Andy Rouse
Andrew "Andy" Rouse is an English racing driver, most notably in the BTCC. He won the BTCC in 1975, 1983, 1984 and 1985....
. He finished 3rd in the series in both 1993 and 1994, but by the end of the 1995 season the car had reached the end of its development cycle and was increasingly uncompetitive in the 1996 season. This was a bad year for the Ford team with no podium places. After racing for Peugeot
Peugeot
Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion...
in 1998 he left the series and went to the V8 Supercar
V8 Supercar
V8 Supercars is a touring car racing category based in Australia and run as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile regulations...
series in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
V8 Supercar
In 1999 he joined Dick Johnson RacingDick Johnson Racing
Dick Johnson Racing is Australia's oldest operating motor racing team. Founded by Dick Johnson, the team has won seven Australian Touring Car Championship titles and has taken three victories in Australia's hallmark race, the Bathurst 1000...
replacing the departed John Bowe
John Bowe (racing driver)
John Bowe is an Australian racing driver, presently racing a 1969 Ford Mustang in the historic series, Touring Car Masters....
. He remained with Dick Johnson Racing until the end of 2002. In 2003 he joined Briggs Motor Sport
Briggs Motor Sport
Briggs Motor Sport was an Australian motor racing team which has represented Queensland based businessman John Briggs in motor racing. The team has competed in Sports Sedans, Formula Holden and most publicly as a touring car team competing in the V8 Supercar Championship Series...
which was later sold to British outfit Triple Eight Race Engineering in 2004. In total he has three race wins and eight other podium results in the championship.
Team Kiwi Racing
He surprised a lot of people by signing for the patriotic Team Kiwi RacingTeam Kiwi Racing
Team Kiwi Racing was a V8 Supercar team that competed in the Australian V8 Supercar series. The team has since returned at much reduced scale, in New Zealand running in domestic one-make series racing...
for 2 years in 2005 racing in a Holden for the first time, helping the team to their first ever podium finish at Shanghai International Circuit
Shanghai International Circuit
The Shanghai International Circuit is a motor racing circuit, situated in the Jiading District of Shanghai, People's Republic of China. The circuit is best known as the venue for the annual Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix, which was first hosted in 2004....
in China, (third). He finished the 2005 season in 14th place, TKR's highest ever finish in a Supercar season.
In the 2006 Supercheap Auto 1000
2006 Supercheap Auto 1000
The 2006 Super Cheap Auto Bathurst 1000 was the tenth running of the Australia 1000 race, first held after the organisational split over the Bathurst 1000 that occurred in 1997. It was the 44th anniversary of the original touring car endurance race held at the Mount Panorama Circuit in 1963...
endurance race at Mount Panorama he had a major crash at around 200 km/h in The Chase. While attempting to overtake Nathan Pretty he ran wide into the dirt and could not brake in time and careered into a tyre wall head on, flipping the car onto its side. Rescue teams had to cut the roof off the car in order to get him out. He was then taken to a nearby hospital and then flown to a hospital in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
for further scans. He broke his ankle
Ankle
The ankle joint is formed where the foot and the leg meet. The ankle, or talocrural joint, is a synovial hinge joint that connects the distal ends of the tibia and fibula in the lower limb with the proximal end of the talus bone in the foot...
and sternum in the crash and missed the remainder of the season.
In November 2006 it was confirmed that Radisich had signed for a further 2 years with TKR and would once again be back racing in a Ford for 2007-08. He has commented that he has unfinished business in V8 Supercars.
Paul returned to the cockpit at Barbagallo for the first time since Bathurst, to the delight of many fans. He had a very good result at Pukekohe, the final round to be held at that circuit, finishing 7th in the third race.
Ford Performance Racing
Ford Performance Racing
Ford Performance Racing is a British-owned Australian-based motor racing team that contests the Australian International V8 Supercars Championship...
terminated its contract to supply and service the TKR Falcon on 31 May 2007. Paul Radisich said he had terminated his contract with TKR following the team's fallout with Ford Performance Racing that ran the car on behalf of TKR.
"TKR is in breach of contract and I have therefore terminated my contract with immediate effect."
Toll HSV Dealer Team
The New Zealand international joined fellow Kiwi Craig BairdCraig Baird
Craig George Baird MNZM is a race car driver. Baird is a very successful driver in his homeland, winning three consecutive New Zealand Formula Atlantic championship titles , and then four consecutive New Zealand Touring Car Championship titles .Since then Baird has raced in Australian Super...
and regular drivers Rick Kelly
Rick Kelly
Rick Kelly is a current V8 Supercar racing driver, currently living in Melbourne, Victoria. He is the younger brother of former Bathurst 1000 champion, Todd Kelly...
and Garth Tander
Garth Tander
Garth Tander is a multiple-championship winning Australian motor racing driver. Since 1998 Tander has been a competitor in touring car racing series V8 Supercar Championship Series. Tander was the 2007 series champion for the HSV Dealer Team and is a three-time winner in Australia's most...
in the Toll HSV ranks for the big endurance races in September and October.
The formal announcement was put on hold until Carrera Cup star and Bathurst rookie David Reynolds was signed and sealed with Super Cheap Auto Racing for the enduros. Reynolds had been in line for a drive with Toll HSV in the big races in September and October, but was happy to transfer to Super Cheap for his V8 Supercar debut without the potential pressure of a fellow drivers championship hanging over him.
At Sandown, Paul was paired with Championship front-runner, Rick Kelly. The car was qualified by Rick Kelly, and they started from 8th position on the grid. Paul and Rick Kelly drove the Number 1 Toll HSV Commodore to 2nd place, 2.8 seconds behind Triple Eight Racing's Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup.
At Bathurst, Paul was paired with Craig Baird. After qualifying 9th after the top-10 shootout, Paul and Craig Baird started strongly, and were running on the fringe of top 10 for the majority of the race, slowed by persistent braking problems which also afflicted their more illustrious team-mates. Ultimately, the team withdrew from the race on lap 137 of 161 so as not to risk damaging Tander and Kelly's race cars for the championship battle to come.
Returning to the team in 2008, Radisich crashed heavily during practice for the 2008 Bathurst 1000, after the throttle jammed open at McPhillamy Park Corner, hitting the concrete wall in a gap in the tyre barriers. Radisich fractured both ankles, reopened the fractured sternum sustained in an accident two years prior, fractured lumbar and thoracic vertebrae, cracked ribs and suffered bruising to his lungs. His recovery has been protracted and brought an end his motor racing career.
Career results
| Season | Series | Position | Car | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | British Formula 3 Championship | 12th | Ralt Ralt RALT was a manufacturer of single-seater racing cars, founded by ex-Jack Brabham associate Ron Tauranac after he sold out his interest in Brabham to Bernie Ecclestone. Ron and his brother had built some specials in Australia in the 1950s under the RALT name... RT3 Golf Volkswagen Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is... |
Murray Taylor Racing |
| 1986 | British Formula 3 Championship | 16th | Ralt RT30 Golf | Murray Taylor Racing |
| 1991 | Formula Toyota Atlantic Championship Champ Car Atlantic Championship The Cooper Tires presents the Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda was a formula race car series with races throughout North America. It is often colloquially referred to as the Atlantic Championship, Champ Car Atlantics , Toyota Atlantics , or just Atlantics or Formula... |
20th | Reynard Reynard Motorsport Reynard Motorsport was at one time the world's largest racing car manufacturer. Initially based at Bicester and latterly at Reynard Park, Brackley, England the company built successful cars in Formula Ford 1600, Formula Ford 2000, Formula Vauxhall Lotus, Formula Three, Formula 3000 and Indy... 91H Toyota |
|
| 1993 1993 British Touring Car Championship season The 1993 Auto Trader RAC British Touring Car Championship season was 36th British Touring Car Championship season.-Season summary:At the end of 1992 BMW GB withdrew from the championship after the rules had been changed in a direction which BMW felt disadvantaged them... |
British Touring Car Championship British Touring Car Championship The British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom. The Championship was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and has run to various rules over the years – "production cars", then FIA Group 1 or 2 in the late 1960s... |
3rd | Ford Mondeo Ford Mondeo The Mondeo was launched on 8 January 1993, and sales began on 22 March 1993. Available as a four-door saloon, a five-door hatchback, and a five-door estate, all models for the European market were produced at Ford's plant in the Belgian city of Genk... |
Rousesport Andy Rouse Andrew "Andy" Rouse is an English racing driver, most notably in the BTCC. He won the BTCC in 1975, 1983, 1984 and 1985.... |
| 1994 1994 British Touring Car Championship season The 1994 Auto Trader RAC British Touring Car Championship season was the 37th British Touring Car Championship season.-Changes for 1994:*The number of double header meetings were increased from three to seven... |
British Touring Car Championship | 3rd | Ford Mondeo | Rousesport |
| 1995 1995 British Touring Car Championship season The 1995 Auto Trader RAC British Touring Car Championship was won by John Cleland in a Vauxhall Cavalier. The Independents' title was won by Matt Neal in his Team Dynamics Ford Mondeo with fourteen class wins.-Entry List:-Calendar & Winners:... |
British Touring Car Championship | 6th | Ford Mondeo | Rousesport |
| 1996 1996 British Touring Car Championship season The 1996 Auto Trader RAC British Touring Car Championship season marked the arrival of Audi to the sport with their four wheel drive A4s. The title was won by Frank Biela, with Swiss driver Alain Menu again finishing in second place and Swede Rickard Rydell in third.-BTCC:* Rouse Sport were neither... |
British Touring Car Championship | 13th | Ford Mondeo | West Surrey Racing West Surrey Racing Founded in 1981, West Surrey Racing is a UK-based motorsport team run by New Zealander Dick Bennetts. He is responsible for masterminding the careers of such names as Ayrton Senna, Mika Häkkinen, Jonathan Palmer, Rubens Barrichello, Maurício Gugelmin and Eddie Irvine with his involvement in F3 and... |
| 1997 1997 British Touring Car Championship season The 1997 Auto Trader RAC British Touring Car Championship was won by Alain Menu of the Williams Renault Laguna Dealer Racing team, who drove a Renault Laguna. The runner up was Frank Biela of Audi Sport UK in an Audi A4 Quattro. Third place was Menu's teammate, Jason Plato... |
British Touring Car Championship | 13th | Ford Mondeo | West Surrey Racing |
| 1998 1998 British Touring Car Championship season The 1998 Auto Trader RAC British Touring Car Championship was a prominent BTCC season during the 'golden era' of touring car racing in Britain. It was eventually won by Rickard Rydell in a Volvo S40 with a round to spare. The runner-up was Anthony Reid in a Nissan Primera... |
British Touring Car Championship | 14th | Peugeot 406 Peugeot 406 The Peugeot 406 was a large family car made by the French automaker Peugeot from 1995 to 2004. Available in saloon, estate and coupé bodystyles with a choice of petrol or turbodiesel engines, the 406 replaced the Peugeot 405 in Peugeot's lineup, and was itself replaced by the Peugeot 407... |
Motor Sport Developments |
| 1999 1999 V8 Supercar season The 1999 Shell Championship Series was a motor racing series for V8 Supercars which began on 28 March 1999 at Eastern Creek Raceway and ended on 14 November at the Mount Panorama Circuit after 13 rounds... |
V8Supercar Championship Series V8 Supercar V8 Supercars is a touring car racing category based in Australia and run as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile regulations... |
16th | Ford AU Falcon Ford AU Falcon The Ford AU Falcon and Fairmont are the first of the sixth generation series of the Ford Falcon, a full-size car produced by Ford Australia... |
Dick Johnson Racing Dick Johnson Racing Dick Johnson Racing is Australia's oldest operating motor racing team. Founded by Dick Johnson, the team has won seven Australian Touring Car Championship titles and has taken three victories in Australia's hallmark race, the Bathurst 1000... |
| 2000 2000 V8 Supercar season The 2000 Shell Championship Series was an Australian motor racing series open to V8 Supercars. The championship, which was the second Shell Championship Series, began on 11 February at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit and ended on 19 November at the Mount Panorama Circuit after 13 rounds... |
V8Supercar Championship Series | 4th | Ford AU Falcon | Dick Johnson Racing |
| 2001 2001 V8 Supercar season The 2001 Shell Championship Series was a motor racing competition for V8 Supercars. The championship, which was the third Shell Championship Series, began on 25 March 2001 at Phillip Island and ended on 2 December at Sandown after 13 rounds... |
V8Supercar Championship Series | 7th | Ford AU Falcon | Dick Johnson Racing |
| 2002 2002 V8 Supercar season The 2002 V8 Supercar Championship Series was an Australian based motor racing series for V8 Supercars. It began on 15 March 2002 at the Adelaide Street Circuit and ended on 1 December at Sandown International Raceway after 13 rounds... |
V8Supercar Championship Series | 26th | Ford AU Falcon | Dick Johnson Racing |
| 2003 2003 V8 Supercar season The 2003 V8 Supercar season was the 44th year of touring car racing in Australia since the first runnings of the Australian Touring Car Championship and the fore-runner of the present day Bathurst 1000, the Armstrong 500.... |
V8Supercar Championship Series | 10th | Ford BA Falcon Ford BA Falcon The Ford BA Falcon is a full-size car, produced by the Ford Motor Company of Australia between September 2002 and October 2005. The exterior styling of the BA was a substantial revision of that used for the preceding AU model. A new independent rear suspension setup was fitted to all sedan... |
Briggs Motor Sport Briggs Motor Sport Briggs Motor Sport was an Australian motor racing team which has represented Queensland based businessman John Briggs in motor racing. The team has competed in Sports Sedans, Formula Holden and most publicly as a touring car team competing in the V8 Supercar Championship Series... |
| 2004 2004 V8 Supercar season The 2004 V8 Supercar season was the 45th year of touring car racing in Australia since the first runnings of the Australian Touring Car Championship and the fore-runner of the present day Bathurst 1000, the Armstrong 500.... |
V8Supercar Championship Series | 10th | Ford BA Falcon | Triple Eight Race Engineering |
| 2005 2005 V8 Supercar season The 2005 V8 Supercar season was the 46th year of touring car racing in Australia since the first runnings of the Australian Touring Car Championship and the fore-runner of the present day Bathurst 1000, the Armstrong 500.... |
V8Supercar Championship Series | 14th | Holden VZ Commodore | Team Kiwi Racing Team Kiwi Racing Team Kiwi Racing was a V8 Supercar team that competed in the Australian V8 Supercar series. The team has since returned at much reduced scale, in New Zealand running in domestic one-make series racing... |
| 2006 | V8Supercar Championship Series | 28th | Holden VZ Commodore | Team Kiwi Racing |
| 2007 2007 V8 Supercar season The 2007 V8 Supercar season was the 48th year of touring car racing in Australia since the first runnings of the Australian Touring Car Championship and the fore-runner of the present day Bathurst 1000, the Armstrong 500.... |
V8Supercar Championship Series | 20th | Ford BF Falcon Ford BF Falcon The Ford BF Falcon was a full-size car that was manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in Victoria, Australia. The BF Falcon started production in October 2005 and a MkII update was released in October 2006... Holden VE Commodore |
Team Kiwi Racing Toll HSV Dealer Team |
| 2008 | V8Supercar Championship Series | 47th | Holden VE Commodore | HSV Dealer Team |