Possum
Bourne died 2 weeks after the accident which put him into coma.
His car was involved in a head-on crash road accident near Queenstown
(South Island) prior to a Hill climbing race ("Race to the
Sky", April 19-20). He was on pre-race inspection driving his
private car when he collided with another competitor. With severe
injuries he was flown to Dunedin hospital. For 2 weeks he was in
intensive care under drug induced coma. When there was no chance
of recovery his family consented to switching off the life support
system.
47 year old Peter "Possum" Bourne was the most successful
Australian and New Zealand rally driver having won a record 7 Australian
Rally titles. This year he was competing in both the Australian
Rally and the World Rally (Production Car class). He is survived
by wife Peggy and 3 young children, Taylor (8), Spencer (4) and
Jazlin (3).
STATEMENT
FROM FIA (International Motosports Federation):
"Peter 'Possum' Bourne was a unique competitor
and ambassador for motor sport, he will be greatly missed. The FIA
pass on sincere condolences to Possum's family for their sad loss.."
STATEMENT
FROM SUBARU AUSTRALIA (N SENIOR): He was not
only THE driver of his generation, but arguably the best to come
out of the southern hemisphere
" ... 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
thoughts are with Peggy, Jazlin, Spencer and Taylor ... "
QUOTE
TEAM-MATE (C Crocker): He had such a big heart
and the dedication he showed in both mentoring us and being there
for us and guiding us was absolutely amazing
" ... It's easy to understand why our team is so successful
when you looked at Possum ... He created the team and is the reason
why we have had the huge level of success we've experienced, including
last weekend in Canberra ...Ever since we met him at the Rally of
Melbourne in 1997, he's been an inspiration. Greg (Foletta) and
I always remember him leaning in the window of the car in that casual
way of his and asking how we were going. We were amazed that he
had the time to bother ... Possum is undoubtedly the reason why
we are the most successful rally team in Australia ... He had such
a big heart and the dedication he showed in both mentoring us and
being there for us and guiding us was absolutely amazing ... As
a driver, you can't go past the amount of experience he had and
his ability to come out on top or get back on top when the going
got tough. He had an incredible ability to never give up and it's
an invaluable lesson he taught us ... "
QUOTE
TEAM-MATE (D Herridge): It has been an honour
and a privilege to be a team-mate to one of the true legends of
our sport
" ... Possum has had a huge influence on my career and it is
a very strange feeling to know that he is no longer with us ...
There
are so many things that I have been able to learn from Possum over
the years. He had such passion for the sport that I love, and a
fighting spirit like no one else ...One particular thing with always
stick with me for the rest of my career and that is the Possum attitude
to never give up and always keep fighting to the end, something
that Possum continued to do in this last stage of his life ...It
has been an honour and a privilege to be a team-mate to one of the
true legends of our sport and he will be sadly missed ...All my
love and thoughts are with Peggy, Spencer, Taylor, Jazlin and all
of Possum's family ... "
QUOTE
CO-DRIVER (M Stacey) after the accident: " ... Possum
is by far the most tenacious man and willing fighter that I know.
We all know that he will be fighting every inch of the way through
this battle ... "
