Richie had been a banger driver whom wanted to try something different and in 1979 took out an F1 licence, and with help from his Father's business and current racer Bobby Burns #471 made an immediate impact on the sport.
Never afraid to mix it and in 1980 made a "Leap of Faith" during a race at Leicester, where Richie tussled with Steve Bateman #427 and the ensuing collision launched Richie completely over the fence and onto the dog track.
Richie was perfectly fine despite the heavy landing. He became a star grade driver in 1982 and was getting to grips with success when during a GN at Coventry, a car mounted the side of Richie's car and its front wheel entered the cab, banging Richie's head.
He sustained concussion and was in a coma for awhile. When he finally came out of the coma, Richie spent most of his time in a wheelchair, but succumbed to pneumonia on the 11th June 1983.
For the first few years the Memorial Trophy was raced at any meeting, but as of 1988 the Memorial Trophy was to be designated to the meeting final of the "Trust Fund" meeting.
However, in 2006 it was moved to the GN of the "Trust Fund" meeting.
