Yesterday, our sport has lost a founding father, a competitor and an icon of our sport. Put simply, rallying both in New Zealand and across the world would not be what it is today without the gargantuan efforts of Morrie Chandler ONZM.
Morrie’s journey with motorsport started in 1962 when he joined the Northern Sports Car Club, competing in Hillclimbs and Car Trials, the forerunner to what would eventually become rallying in New Zealand.
His administrative journey in the sport began, and he would become President of the Northern Sports Car Club from 1970 to 1974. During that period, he was elected to the Executive Board of Motorsport New Zealand in 1973, eventually becoming President in 1977, a role he would hold through to 1998.
He was never one to just tackle one challenge though, and was a founding member in 1974 of the Rally Organisers Association of New Zealand, the organisation now known as Rally New Zealand Ltd, becoming chairman in 1978 and serving in that role until 2008 and was the driving force behind the FIA World Rally Championship becoming a regular visitor to New Zealand’s shores during that period.
All the while, he was an active competitor in the sport at a high level, competing in early Heatway Rallies as part of a local works Skoda team before making a shift to Mitsubishi in 1977, a move that would continue through the remainder of his driving career.
That association would also lead to Morrie forming Ralliart New Zealand in the 1990s, not only making the Mitsubishi brand far more accessible to competitors across the country but helping string together multiple successful New Zealand Championship campaigns.
Morrie continued to push the sport of Rallying, lobbying the FIA to establish the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship in 1988, a championship that would count former World Rally Champion Carlos Sainz and New Zealand rallying icons Rod Millen, Possum Bourne and Hayden Paddon amongst its champions.
All the while, he continued to serve the sport he loved, acting as the Clerk of the Course for Rally New Zealand from 1984 to 2005, and without doubt, his tireless efforts to lobby the world body and lift the standard of rallying in New Zealand kept us on the world stage.
He began serving in the sport at a world level, joining the FIA’s Rally Commission in 1983 and serving until 2006, and the FIA World Rally Championship Commission from 2002 to 2010, including serving as President from 2006 to 2010. His contribution at a world level wasn’t confined to rallying, joining the FIA World Motorsport Council in 1996, being appointed as a Formula 1 steward in 1998, and ultimately becoming Vice President of the FIA in 2006, eventually retiring from the organisation in 2017.
Amongst his multiple contributions while working within the FIA was the Pirelli Star Driver project, which funded an introduction to the World Rally Championship for five drivers from different regions around the world over three seasons. Included in the benefactors of the project were 2019 World Champion Ott Tanak and New Zealand’s most successful rally driver, Hayden Paddon.
A recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Halberg awards in 2018, Morrie was a regular sight at rallies as recently as last year, enjoying the slightly more laid-back role of proud supporter of his grandchildren, Amy and Josh, both regular and successful competitors in their own right.
Put simply, Morrie’s contribution to motorsport on a global scale was immense; his contribution to motorsport in New Zealand remains incomparable.
Our thoughts go out to Margaret, Suzanne, Andrew, Amy, Josh and Morrie’s wider family and friends around the world, and we thank them for sharing Morrie with us.
RIP Morrie Chandler.
Header Image: Geoff Ridder
