Possum Bourne passes away Subaru pays tribute to rally legend Possum Bourne
April 30, 2003
Possum Bourne, New Zealand's most successful rally driver died peacefully surrounded by his wife Peggy and their family in Dunedin Hospital at 0:58 30 April.
Possum never regained consciousness after being involved in a traffic accident on the Snow Farm Rd in the Cardrona Valley near Lake Wanaka in Central Otago on Good Friday, April 18.
He was air lifted from the crash site with head injuries and two broken legs to Dunedin Hospital where he remained in the Intensive Care Unit in an induced coma ever since.
Possum's wife Peggy, his mother, two sisters, brother, other close family members and friends have maintained a 24 hour bedside vigil over the past 12 days.
Possum's medical condition has been monitored constantly, including several CT Scans.
Following a series of neurological tests and the latest scan a decision was made to withdraw the life support system.
On behalf of Possum's family I would like to thank the staff at Dunedin Hospital for all the care they have lavished on Possum.
The family would also like to acknowledge the thousands of emails, faxes, cards, flowers and other messages of support they have received over the last 12 days.
At this time the family does not wish to make any personal statements and I would ask you respect their position and not intrude in their time of grief.
Possum is survived by his wife Peggy and three children, Taylor, Spencer and Jazlin.
Possum was a great man. A great sportsman. A great New Zealander. A great son, brother, husband and father. His spirit/memory/legacy will live on.
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
