Possum Bourne Subaru Pays Tribute to Rally Legend Possum Bourne

Possum Bourne Subaru pays tribute to rally legend Possum Bourne The death of legendary seven-times Australian Rally Champion, Possum Bourne, has been met with deep sadness by Subaru Australia, for whom he had driven for almost 10 years. Possum, the ARC champion from 1996-2002, is survived by wife Peggy and the couple have three children, a daughter Jazlin, aged three, and two sons, Taylor, eight and Spencer, four. The family lives at Pukekohe, New Zealand, from where he ran Possum Bourne Motorsport. Possum had been rallying for 24 years and gained international recognition, including three Asia-Pacific Championships in his remarkable achievements. In addition to defending his ARC title this year, he had also been picked by Subaru Tecnica International (STi) to drive an Impreza WRX STi in the production class of the World Rally Championship. His amazing career highlights include New Zealand Rally Champion, 1991; Australian Rally Champion, 1996-2002; ARC Class Champion Group A, 1992; Asia Pacific Champion, 1993, 1994 and 2000. He was also instrumental in contributing points to Subaru’s five ARC Manufacturers titles in 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2002. Possum’s company prepares all the cars for Subaru Rally Team Australia, including those of teammates Cody Crocker and co-driver Greg Foletta, and Dean Herridge and co-driver Glenn Macneall. Subaru Australia General Manager Nick Senior, who also manages the SRTA programme, said: "Subaru has lost its most dedicated ambassador. Australian rallying has lost its greatest driver. Possum’s family has lost a great Dad. "Possum was a real character. Full of humour, full of life and abundant in energy. "He was there in Subaru’s pioneering stage at the top level of rallying and remained with the brand since. "Possum’s career and the growth of the brand in Australia are inextricably linked. "His results are well documented and need no defence or explanation. He was not only THE driver of his generation, but arguably the best to come out of the southern hemisphere. "But more than the results was the tireless effort of Possum to grow the sport of rallying. "It was not unusual for him to fly from New Zealand to Sydney for a five-minute television interview on Sunday and return home on the next flight. "He was always accessible to the media and his fans, indeed to everyone who wanted to chat, because Poss loved a chat! "He worked with rally organisers, rally promoters and motor sport authorities to improve the sport of rallying. "The growing spectator and media interest in the sport is testament to Possum’s all-consuming passion for rallying. "He was the ideal team leader and team-mate. He never fostered any jealousies or selfishness. "What he learned about the car he passed on to Cody and later Dean when they joined the team. He mentored these two and their current success reflects Possum’s enthusiasm to develop this new breed of younger drivers. "Nothing typifies his competitive spirit more than his 2002 championship win. Some people said he had no hope after switching from the World Rally Car to Group N production class. When he didn’t take a point from the first round, they said he had even less hope. Yet his competitive spirit and skill shone through and Possum clinched his seventh consecutive title. "Our thought are with Peggy, Jazlin, Spencer and Taylor." Possum was a proud New Zealander and listed fellow countrymen yachtsman the late Sir Peter Blake and cricketer Sir Richard Hadlee as his favourite sportspeople. Childhood idols were rally heroes Ari Vatanen and Walter Rohrl. Named Peter by his parents, he has long been known as Possum since an accident in his first car when the young driver swerved to miss a possum, then rolled down a bank while the creature escaped injury. Possum also came out of the ordeal unscathed but he had totalled his first car and earned himself a new nickname. Possum said he wanted to be remembered for being an honest competitor. He was New Zealand’s only full-time professional rally driver. Possum Bourne rally biography Dubbed the most successful rally driver in the Southern Hemisphere, Possum Bourne's career had its inauspicious beginning behind the wheel of a Mk.1 Ford Cortina. Possum placed third in his first rally and he said: "That day I decided that my aim was to become a professional rally driver and to strive to be New Zealand's best." Possum's ambitions ultimately extended beyond New Zealand and in 1986 Subaru Japan gave him the backing to launch his overseas challenge. He surpassed his stated goal and became the first rally driver to win all three of the Southern Hemisphere/Pacific region championships. He also dominated the Australian Rally Championship in recent years. In 2000 Possum equalled Ross Dunkerton's five ARC championship wins and surpassed it with a sixth title in 2001, then a seventh last year. Asked last year what motivated him to continue to strive for success, Possum said: "I have a real love for the sport. I mean, someone gives you a superb rally car, you have a group of trained technicians to attend to the car’s every need, and you are allowed to go out on some of the best forest roads in the country and drive flat out. That sounds like a dream come true to me. "Seriously though, I love the thrill of driving and I love being part of a team. "It is a big group of people who go into making our success on the road. The mechanics and the co-driver are obviously important. But then there are a whole group of supporters who also help make it happen. Without the right tyres, for example, we would face real problems. "All up I see our team as around 40 people and without everyone working hard to achieve the outcome, the results just won’t follow. So to be part of that and play such a pivotal role, is terrific." Subaru Rally Team Australia Car Number 1 - Possum Bourne and Mark Stacey: Possum Bourne and Mark Stacey joined forces in 2000 and proved to be a great combination of driver and co-driver, taking the national championship in both categories in 2000, 2001 and 2002. In 2003, they were also contesting the Production Car World Rally Championship title. Possum Bourne: Age: 47 (DOB: 13/4/1956) Car: Subaru Impreza WRX STi (Group N) Home: New Zealand Occupation: Professional rally driver. Owner, Possum Bourne Motorsport Championship titles: New Zealand Rally Champion: 1991 Australian Rally Champion: 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 ARC Class Champion: 1992 Group A Asia Pacific Champion: 1993, 1994, 2000 Event titles in Australia: Forest Rally 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 (equal), 2002 Coffs Harbour Rally 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 Rally of Queensland 1993, 1997, 1998, 1999 (equal), 2000 (equal), 2001, 2002 Rally of Melbourne 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002 Subaru Safari Tasmania 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 (equal), 2000, 2001, 2002 SA Rally 1992, 1993, 1996, 2001, 2002 Subaru Rally of Canberra 1992, 1996, 2000, 2001 Reference: Subaru All Wheel Drive (2003) Subaru pays tribute to Rally legend Possum Bourne http://www.subaru.com.au/news/?newsid=11790 sourced 18 October 2003 Linear Photographs – Sport Action Photography (2003 ) Tribute to Possum Bourne Image [on-line] http://linear-photographs.com/Possum_Bourne/imagepages/image12.asp sourced 18 October 2005 .

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