» V8s: Richards confirms he will step back in ’11

V8 Supercars regular Steven Richards has confirmed the much-expected news that he will take a step back from full-time driving in 2011, but he hasn’t ruled out contesting the series’ endurance events at Phillip Island and Bathurst.

New Zealand-born Richards is the son of seven-time Bathurst winner Jim Richards, and is himself a two-time winner of ‘The Great Race’, and one of just three drivers to have won the event in both a Ford and a Holden.

The seven-time race winner will relinquish his race seat at Ford Performance Racing, a statement confirmed.

“With Christmas and the New Year fast approaching and after lengthy consideration of all the options available to me, it is my decision to step away from the V8 Supercar Championship as a full time driver in 2011,” it reads.

“By no means is this an announcement of any sort in relation to retiring from driving full time in the V8 Supercar Championship, who knows at this stage what lies beyond 2011,” he adds.

Clearly there are many very good options in relation to driving at the L&H 500 at Phillip Island and the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 endurance races and a final decision on driving at those events will become clearer to me in the coming days and weeks.”

It is widely expected that exiled Holden Racing Team driver Will Davison will take over Richards’ Trading Post sponsored seat for the 2011 season.