The North Island Rally Series will open its 2026 season with the return of one of New Zealand rallying’s most meaningful events, as the North Waikato Rally is officially renamed the Possum Bourne Memorial Rally.
Set to run on Saturday 21 March 2026, the one-day gravel event will take place on the very roads where the late Peter “Possum” Bourne honed his craft, celebrating the legacy of one of New Zealand’s greatest rally drivers.
“We’re thrilled to see the Possum Bourne Memorial Rally back on the calendar,” said rally co-ordinator Marty Roestenburg. “To bring this event back to Possum’s local roads makes it particularly special and a fitting way to honour his contribution to the sport.”
The Possum Bourne Memorial Rally originally evolved from a memorial rally sprint run by the Pukekohe Car Club, the most recent of which was held in 2013. Its 2026 return is being delivered through a collaborative effort between the Auckland, Pukekohe and South Auckland Car Clubs.
The event will be based at the Te Akau Community Centre and will feature three former World Rally Championship stages, each run twice, covering a total of 140 kilometres of classic North Waikato gravel roads. The rally also provides an ideal shakedown opportunity for competitors preparing for Rally Otago’s 50th Anniversary event in April.
Bourne’s nickname famously originated after he rolled his mother’s Humber 80 on the Pukekohe back roads while trying to avoid hitting a possum—a story that became part of New Zealand rally folklore.
Before his passing in 2003, Bourne claimed the 1991 New Zealand Rally Championship, three Asia-Pacific Rally Championship titles (1993, 1994, 1999) and seven consecutive Australian Rally Championship crowns between 1996 and 2002.
He also won the Ashley Forest Rallysprint three times and the Queenstown Race to the Sky in 2001. In 1993, Bourne became the first New Zealand resident to secure a works contract in a FIA rally championship, driving for Subaru and Prodrive.
Vantage Windows and Doors will support the 2026 event as naming sponsor, continuing a long-standing association with New Zealand motorsport and Bourne’s career.
The Hawkeswood Mining North Island Rally Series will again feature six rounds in 2026, with competitors’ best five results counting toward the Driver and Co-driver championships. Each round will also include an 80km Clubmans category for novice and rookie competitors.
The series acknowledges the continued support of Hawkeswood Mining, Semog, Pure Quality Construction, RallyDrive NZ, Paddon Racing Group, iSignit, Ngatea Panelbeaters and Online Contractors.
Header Image: Geoff Ridder
