WRC
WRC Community mourns passing of Morrie Chandler
The WRC community was saddened to learn on Sunday of the passing of former president of the FIA World Rally Championship Commission, Morrie Chandler ONZM.
New Zealander Morrie Chandler, who was in 1997 appointed as an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in acknowledgement of his service to New Zealand and global motorsport has passed away aged 85.
Beginning his career contesting hillclimbs with the Northern Sports Car Club, Chandler quickly rose to the roll of Club President, before making his mark soon after at national level as a member of Motorsport New Zealand’s Executive Board.
In this position, Chandler played an instrumental role in maintaining New Zealand’s position on the WRC calendar throughout the seventies and eighties, regularly also contesting the event himself.
But his influence would not be restricted to the shores of New Zealand and by 1983, Morrie was a member of the FIA’s WRC Commission. His roles within the FIA continued throughout the next decades, seeing him rise to the position of FIA World Rally Championship Commission president and FIA Vice-President for Sport.
Chandler’s passion for rallying also extended beyond New Zealand, serving as a driving force in the development of the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship.
“Morrie was a titan. Not just of rallying, but motorsport in general,” expressed WRC Promoter Senior Event Director Simon Larkin. He continued: “He led with strength and passion, and it was a pleasure to work alongside and in partnership with him for the growth and development of the WRC.
“‘He is a loss to all of us, but his family and friends can take heart knowing of his immense contribution.”
As well as being appointed as an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, further recognitions afforded to Chandler were being named President d’Honneur of MotorSport New Zealand in 1998 and awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Halberg Awards, New Zealand’s annual sports accolades, in 2018.
The thoughts of the WRC community go out to Morrie’s family and friends at this time.
