Possum Bourne facts for kids
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  New Zealander |
| Born | 13 April 1956 Pukekohe, New Zealand |
| Died | 30 April 2003 (aged 47) Dunedin, New Zealand |
| World Rally Championship record | |
| Active years | 1983–2003 |
| Co-driver | Ken Fricker Michael Eggleton Mike Fletcher Jim Scott Kevin Lancaster Rodger Freeth Tony Sircombe Craig Vincent Mark Stacey |
| Rallies | 42 |
| Championships | 0 |
| Rally wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 1 |
| Stage wins | 11 |
| First rally | 1983 Rally New Zealand |
| Last rally | 2003 Rally New Zealand |
Peter "Possum" Raymond George Bourne (born 13 April 1956 – died 30 April 2003) was a super champion rally car driver from New Zealand. He was famous for his exciting driving style and his love for the sport. Sadly, he passed away after an accident on a public road that was going to be used for a race.
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Possum Bourne's Amazing Rally Wins
Possum Bourne was a true legend in rally racing. He won the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship three times! He also dominated the Australian Rally Championship, winning it seven times in a row. That's a huge achievement!
In 1993, he made history by becoming the first New Zealander to get a special contract with a big racing team, Prodrive, to drive a Subaru Legacy in a major international rally championship.
Here are some of the big events he won:
- 1991: New Zealand Rally Championship
- 1992: Australian Rally Championship (in a special car group called Group N)
- 1993, 1994, 2000: Asia-Pacific Rally Championship
- 1996 to 2002: Australian Rally Championship (seven years in a row!)
- 1989, 1991, 2000: Ashley Forest Rally Sprint
- 2001: Queenstown Race to the Sky
- 2002: Hokkaido Rally Japan
- 2002: Rally New Zealand (in Group N)
Possum's Family Life
Possum Bourne lived in Pukekohe, Auckland, New Zealand, close to where his workshop was. He shared his home with his wife, Peggy Bourne, and their three children: Taylor, Spencer, and Jazlin.
He got his famous nickname, "Possum," one night when he crashed his mother's car. He was trying to avoid hitting a possum that ran into the road!
His life story, an autobiography called Bourne to Rally, was finished just a few days before he passed away. A special bronze statue of Possum was put up a year after his death, looking over the place where his accident happened. In 2013, the statue was moved to the Pukekohe town square.
To honor her husband, Peggy Bourne even competed in the Silverstone Race to the Sky in 2005, even though she wasn't a professional rally driver. In 2013, Possum's oldest son, Taylor Bourne, took part in the Possum Bourne Memorial Rally. He said, "It's easy to understand why he loved it so much," after finishing the race.
Possum's Favorite Cars
Possum Bourne was most famous for driving Subaru cars. He started with the RX model, which was a turbocharged version of the Leone. Then he moved on to the Legacy. In Australia, this car was called the Liberty.
But the car he became most known for was the Impreza WRX. He drove it for the Subaru World Rally Team in races in New Zealand, Australia, and Indonesia. He even teamed up with another famous driver, Richard Burns, in the mid-1990s. Later, he won many Australian titles with the Subaru Rally Team Australia.
Subaru Japan even gave him a special black, limited edition Subaru Impreza WRX STi just for his personal use!
Remembering Rodger Freeth
Possum Bourne's close friend and co-driver, Dr. Rodger "Roj" Freeth, had a terrible accident during the 1993 Rally Australia. This sad event almost made Possum stop racing forever. But with encouragement from Rodger's family, Possum decided to get back behind the wheel. After Rodger's death, Possum always had a license plate that said "ROJ" on the front of his rally cars, remembering his friend.
Possum Bourne's Passing
On 18 April 2003, Possum Bourne was seriously injured in a car accident. He was driving on the Waiorau Snow Farm Road, which is usually a public road, but was going to be the track for the Silverstone Race to the Sky event near Cardrona, New Zealand. He was driving his Subaru Forester when it collided with a Jeep Cherokee. Possum passed away in Dunedin Hospital on 30 April 2003.
At the time of his death, Possum was just starting to compete again on the world stage, driving a production-class Subaru Impreza in the PWRC.
