1 year on without Possum.

[Winters]

Rally great Peter 'Possum' Bourne died on April 30 2003 Peter Bourne earned the most famous nickname in motorsport by swerving to avoid a possum, but made his name when he turned sliding into an artform.

After spending a quarter of a century pushing his rally car to the limit, Possum Bourne died at 12.58am on the 30 April - in the greatest of ironies, because of a road accident. Australasia's most successful rally driver, with seven national titles, the 47-year-old New Zealander had lain in a coma in Dunedin Hospital since his April 18 car crash.

The decision to turn off his life support system was made, because his family said the brain injury he suffered was too severe to expect a recovery. Bourne suffered horrific injuries during preparations for the Race to the Sky hillclimb in Central Otago.

He and a car being driven by another competitor, Mark Barltrop, who suffered leg injuries, collided during preparations for the hillclimb, part of the New Zealand leg of the world championships near Queenstown.

This was to have been Bourne's greatest year as he launched his own Subaru team to contest the World Production Car Championship.

The darkest moment of his career came at the 1993 Rally Australia in Western Australia when his co-driver Rodger "Roj" Freeth was killed in a crash.

Bourne's cars have since worn the number plate ROJ and he said he still talked to his mate while competing long after his death.
"If I need to get a move on I say 'come on Roj I need a hand'," he said.

Three years later, Bourne won the first of seven successive Australian Rally title, while he was also Asia Pacific champion in 1993-94 and 2000.

He had also been a key figure in turning Subaru - especially the highly-powered WRX - into a cult car which established extraordinary brand loyalty among customers.
Bourne and co-driver Mark Stacey had this year begun their quest, which would take them to seven events run in conjunction with the World Rally Championship in Sweden, New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, Cyprus, Turkey and Corsica.

The pair were fourth after the Rally of Sweden.
Last year Bourne was the first Group N driver home but because he was not a registered world rally championship competitor, the victory went to Finnish driver Kristian Sohlberg.
"I'm hoping to repeat the victory but this time take top championship points," Bourne said on the eve of the event.

Bourne's world championship team is in limbo but one of the other two cars in the Subaru stable competing in the Australian Championships last weekend won the Rally of Canberra.

Cody Crocker dedicated his win to Bourne but is devastated by the death of his team leader.

"It's easy to understand why our team is so successful when you looked at Possum," Crocker said today.

"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.

"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."

Crocker's co-driver Greg Foletta said: "Every time he spoke to me I was in awe, even after I joined the team. He was so big in the sport."

Stacey described Bourne as "an absolutely brilliant driver and a fantastic friend and mentor".

Bourne's career began in the late 1970s when he entered his first rally and finished third in an over-powered Oldsmobile V8 Cortina.

"This was a momentous occasion and that day I decided that my main aim was to become a professional rally driver and strive to be New Zealand's best," Bourne says on the rally.com.au website.

In 1983 he won backing from Subaru in New Zealand and three years later the Japanese factory supported him in rallies in Australia, the Far East, Africa, South America, the USA and the UK.

Bourne combined his circuit success with the ability to successfully market himself and by the mid 1990s he and Subaru had an almost fanatical following.

Bourne is survived by his wife Peggy and three children, Taylor (8), Spencer (4) and Jazlin (3).

A truely great man, and is missed deeply..

regards Rob.

[Just Do It!]

Listening to the cars returning this evening (and one goes past right now) returning to Parc Ferme at Auckland's Sky City from the Super Special Stage at Manukau, it is hard still to accept that Possum isn't there doing it.

These times are never easy when they occur, and regardless of what anyone says, they are never really any easier with the passing of time.

Possum's loss is such a huge void to fill. For sure, Possum and Roger Freeth are probably watching it from above, seeing how everyone is going, in fact, I would nearly bet that Roger is about to crack open his second bottle of Jack Daniel's.
Hopefully, he won't be chased by a transvestite tonight, poor Roger.

[Just Do It!]

Today marks the 1st anniversary of Possum's accident at the Gold Rush Race to the Sky that ultimately ended his life.

Today is going to be a hard day - that I can promise you. And I know that tonight when the Rally of New Zealand ends, there will be more than few drivers who will really, really feel the enormity of it all catch up with them.

What kind of hero is so humble in his achievements, yet always striving to achieve more?
Possum, because he is a true hero!

[Winters]

Quote: Just Do It
"What kind of hero is so humble in his achievements, yet always striving to achieve more?
Possum, because he is a true hero!"

Well siad....and so true, its a pitty a lot of people dont realise these things untill after they have lost who ever it is that inspired them.

[Just Do It!]

Possum inspired me whilst he was still very much with us. Others have too, but let's focus on Possum.

Sadly, most people do not, for some strange reason, tell people how much their endeavours and achievements mean whilst they are still with us, but they do it when we are not around to hear of it.

In Possum's case, he was a hero of mine in a non-post humous manner, as he continues to be even now.

What Possum did was battle. No matter who, what, or when things went bad, he kept on keeping on, and always with a grin, always with a positive attitude and a positive outlook.

Most of us could learn a huge amount about ourselves and about humanity just by adopting a small percentage of Possum - a man of achievement and humility in all that he did.

Possum's legacy will always be judged by results achieved, as all racers will always be judged. But to me, the results were fantastic, although secondary to the person who achieved them.
You can be the most winniest driver without having the outer character of Possum, but a true and enviable champion is not someone with a huge list of results necessarily, but is the person whom maintained their almost infant-style interest in all that consumed them - their efforts to get to the next event, raising the funding, satisfying the sponsors, tending to the media, and being able to relate to fans of all levels.

Let's face it - Possum really was an all-rounder in all that he did for most of his career.
He ran the team, owned the team for most of his career, he arranged sponsorship, and drove the car - and very competitively too.

He, perhaps more than other racer I know of, exuded the belief in the power of a dream and then strove to achieve that dream.