Possum Bourne in serious condition after accident.
author: Leon Botha
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Leon Botha
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New Zealand rally legend Possum Bourne suffered from critical injuries after a head-on smash today in Queenstown, was reported by newspaper The New Zealand Herald.
Rescuers took twenty minutes to free Bourne, using the jaws of life. Ambulance officers said Bourne was a "grade 1", which is the most serious condition. He was coming in and out of consciousness as they airlifted him to Dunedin Hospital.
The driver of the other vehicle is thought to have suffered a broken leg.
The crash happened as Bourne was checking out the course used for the annual Queenstown hill climb event that he hoped to win this weekend. The smash involved another entrant in the event who was heading uphill in a convoy of vehicles, also looking at the course.
Bourne, who turned 47 on Sunday and also just celebrated his wedding anniversary, was to have driven his 500 horsepower Subaru Impreza World Rally car on the 14km course at the base of the Waiorau moutain range tomorrow.
Nicknamed Possum after he wrote off his first car swerving to avoid a possum, Bourne has two sons, Taylor and Spencer and a daughter, Jazlin, who live in the family home at Pukekohe.
"Possum" is a star in New Zealand, where he started his career in 1979. Many times his country's national champion, he also was Australia's champion and driver of the year in Australia. Bourne won many honours in his long career, including three titles in the Asia Pacific championship.
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