RICHARDS TO REMINISCEPHILLIP ISLAND CLASSICJIM RICHARDS will relive the first of his four national titles when he returns to the wheel of a BMW 635 CSi at the 2012 Phillip Island Classic Festival of Motorsport on March 9-11.Richards will race the former John Player Special team car against a near-capacity field of Group C and Group A Historic Touring Cars in four races over the weekend, in his first race in a BMW for 24 years.Participation in the Phillip Island Classic races is essential to qualify drivers for their involvement in the Group C/A support events at the 2012 Australian Grand Prix the following weekend, at which Richards will again drive the 635.The BMW is the car he originally campaigned in Group C configuration in the 1984 Australian Touring Car Championship. It was rebuilt to Group A specification, and was one of three that Richards drove to dominate the 1985 series, winning both the Australian Touring Car and Australian Endurance Championships."The BMW was a great car," recalled Richards, who first drove it at Surfers Paradise in the final round of the 1982 ATCC for the late Frank Gardner's newly-formed JPS Racing Team.The Touring Car Revival races include a record grid of up to 38 high-powered open-wheeler racing cars, incorporating around 35 thundering Formula 5000s, and several former Formula 1 cars are also expected.GOB Richards will return to the wheel of his BMW for the first time in 24 years