When Hayden Paddon won the Australian Rally Championship last year, few could comprehend the importance of lifting the trophy.
It had nothing to do with a Kiwi beating their nearest neighbor, but everything to do with a Peter called ‘Possum’.
In 2002, the year Paddon started competing, his fellow New Zealander Peter ‘Possum’ Bourne won his seventh successive Australian title. Tragically, Bourne was killed early the following season.
Talk to Paddon about Bourne and the respect, the reverence is obvious. He remembers getting his first autograph from Possum. And he certainly remembers lifting the Possum Bourne Trophy after winning the Australian title last year.
“Just seeing my name alongside his,” Paddon told DirtFish, “it was incredible, and slightly surreal.”
Bourne flew the flag for New Zealand on the international stage; something Paddon has since emulated
Paddon picked up the mantle and continued Bourne’s work of taking New Zealand rally talent around the world. Ironically, Possum had just started his first ever season-long WRC campaign, fighting for the PWRC title, when he died.
This weekend, Paddon will help return the Bourne name to rallying, when Possum’s son Spencer starts the Ashley Forest Rallysprint in a Subaru Impreza WRX liveried identically to the car his father drove. This will be the first time a Bourne has started the North Canterbury event in 26 years, after Possum won it in 2000.
And this is just the start of the story, with Paddon committed to helping Bourne make the start of next year’s Otago Rally.
Paddon said: “It’s going to be great to see Spencer out competing, in an iconic car in iconic Possum colors. We were lucky enough to have a couple of Possum replica WRXs added to our collection in the past year or so.
“Possum’s always been a massive inspiration to me, and he did a lot of things for our sport. I thought this was a way to get Possum’s son Spencer involved in the sport and to pay tribute to the Bourne family, keeping Possum’s legacy alive and give Spencer an opportunity to get more involved in rallying.
Bourne Jr is working towards taking on next year's Otago Rally
“This isn’t a one-off event. We’re going to work with Spencer over coming months with the goal of him competing at Rally Otago next year. We’ll be coaching Spencer so he’s at the point where he can compete at Otago and properly enjoy it, feel comfortable in the car and the surroundings.”
Bourne, 28, admitted his priorities are clear for Saturday’s event: “The opportunity came out of nowhere when Hayden called me, after I’d asked him for some advice about the Possum Bourne Memorial Rally,” he said.
“Mum always told me to say yes to every opportunity, so I did. I’ve watched my dad competing in earlier Ashley Forest events and the road hasn’t changed. My goals for Ashley Forest are simple: to have fun and don’t crash the car.
“I’ve stayed in touch with Hayden a bit over the years, and I’m a big supporter of his. He’s helped me in various ways like co-driving notes for an event and advice like not putting pressure on myself this weekend, to have a go at rallying and see what I can make of it.”
Bourne will share the Subaru with Paddon Rally Group technician and current MotorSport NZ Clubsport champion Josh Cooper.
While Bourne has some experience as a driver and co-driver, joining the Paddon Rally Group test in Otago last week helped settle some nerves.
“During our test day, I sat beside Josh driving for my first run in the car and that helped me see how the car behaves. Josh has been really helpful too; the whole team has. The car’s easy to drive, super responsive. It feels quite natural which is pretty special, to be honest. I think my father would be saying if I’m having fun, then I’m winning.”
Paddon will drive the Hyundai i20 AP4++ he used to set a new course record of 52.00s for the 1.7km hillclimb. He will also drive a Group A Subaru. As well as looking after Bourne’s Impreza, the Paddon Rally Group will also run cars for Emma Gilmour and Steward Reid.
