Pat Richard retiring

Sad day for Canadian Rally as I saw that Pat has retired. This from his FB account.
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Retired !

Yes, I have to retire from competitive driving.

I have a serious neurological illness believed to have been caused by a series of head injuries. Although I am now out of the hospital after a two-month stay, I am mostly confined to my home. I'm hopeful I'll recover fully but it's really unlikley I'll be driving competitively again.

This has been a very difficult decision to make but it's for the best. Huge thanks to Subaru Canada for an entire career's worth of support, to the well-respected and hard-working posse at Rocket Rally, and to everyone involved in the sport -- you guys have all made it a great ride !

Subaru Rally Team Canada and the Rocket Rally crew will most definitely be at Rallye Defi; though I won't be driving I'm still involved with the team and I'll be supporting them from a distance.

I hope to get to a rally soon to start my new career as most annoying know-it-all service crew guy ever.

(And in case you're trying to get a hold of me, a warning/reminder: sorry but it's really difficult for me to get on Facebook.)

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Yes, it's a Ranger.
Xr4Ti, it is rwd and was made in Germany.

wow.....

I really wonder what the head injury came from. It was an abrupt thing with him pulling out of an event a few months ago.

Might not be a single blow. The new research is pointing to accumulative sub concussive blows being as bad as full concussions.

http://slapshot.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/30/study-shows-possible-brain-damage-caused-by-subconcussive-blows/


Sad day for rally that Pat has to stop due to injury, but I hope that he is able to get on top of his injuries and find other ways to have fun.

Quote
czwalga
I really wonder what the head injury came from. It was an abrupt thing with him pulling out of an event a few months ago.

When I met him and was helping on some 36 hour push thing we had a chance to talk several times...He told me about YEARS of crazy ass CRAZY snowboarding and when you are learning that yopu bang the whole body into the snow like 1000 times.. Then when you're good and do back-flip-helicopter whatever you still crash on the head repeatedly..

He said all those years of driving up from North Van to Whistler multiople times a week is where he did his "apprenticeship" driving heavily modded MkI Fiestas with gears and final drive and LSD and 45s and going thru guard rails several times..."Ah ya empty out all yer gear and climb back up to the road and walk away from it, no way you're getting up outta that gully!"

Who can say..Repeated blows, one blow, biology? Serious neurological damamge sucks big time...

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John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

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Very sad indeed. Hardy and I raced with Rocket Rally for 3 years, spent a lot of time around Pat... mostly with him busting my balls haha

Two of my most memorable rally memories involve Pat, one time at Baie, the other at Rocky in 2012 haha I would wish him luck, but Pat makes his own. I am glad he will be well enough to still participate (indirectly) and be around!

chronic encephalopathy?

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First Rally: 2010 First RallyX: 2004 (a bunch)
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Last Updated, Apr 9, 2023

I'm sure we all send our best wishes for a good recovery. Nothing makes you appreciate things like a serious heath issue.