Palmerston North's Brian Green is a living legend in the world of motorsport, with a career that spans six decades and continues to thrive. As a competitor in seven events already in 2024, Green's dedication to rallying is evident. The Daybreaker Rally, powered by Brian Green Properties, remains a significant part of his life. Not only does he support the event as a sponsor, but he also holds the unique distinction of having competed in every single Daybreaker Rally, including those that predated its official inception.
Reflecting on the early days of the rally, Green recalls an era that pre-dated health and safety regulations. "It was such a long event," he explains. "You'd start at 10 pm on Friday from Taihape and finish around 2 pm on Sunday at the Manawatu Car Club rooms. People would find that hard to believe now, but it was a hell of a long way. I remember times we wouldn’t leave the clubrooms until after dark on Sunday. It was a huge adventure for a weekend."
To endure such gruelling events, Green had a simple formula. "We were young in those days," he says. "I lived off NoDoz tablets to stay awake and Coca-Cola to keep me going. The only food I could keep down was baked beans; everything else came back up. Back then, we didn’t have a lot of money either—the car owed us more than the house."
Green's early successes in the Manawatu Rally, the precursor to the Daybreaker, laid the foundation for his long and storied career. His first win came in a Ford Escort, but it was the Group B Audi Quattro that truly stood out. In 1986, Green had the opportunity to drive the Malcolm Stewart-owned Audi Works Factory car, the very same vehicle that had won the 1984 Acropolis Rally with Stig Blomqvist behind the wheel.
"Malcolm was offered a drive in the CRC Mazda 323 and said I could use the Quattro if I wanted. I met him at Taihape one Friday, and we drove back down the road to Utiku, where we found a gravel pit with a bit of road, I could test the car on. I nearly told him to put it back on the trailer—it was too fast for me. But we won the event after a good battle, and I learned a lot about the car and its electric clutch. It was a marvellous car and a fantastic opportunity. Farming wasn’t going so well at the time, so I leased it off Malcolm and continued using it."
As the years passed, the chase of the victory morphed into a new passion. These days it's about camaraderie. "This year, we’ll be in the Mitsubishi Evo 9, and with the 4 am start, it will be a matter of pacing ourselves," he explains. "The first couple of stages won’t be that enjoyable for me, being in the dark, and it’s still a 12-hour day. There are some reasonably long stages, so that will be hard on the frame, but it’s a good event to be involved in, especially as it’s a large event for Palmerston North. It’s the opportunity for old mates who don’t get out as much as they used to, to come along. Last year, I saw people I hadn’t seen in four or five years, even though we live in the same city."
"The event is always well supported given its history, and there will be quite a few from those earlier years who will be coming along just for the fact that they can say they’ve done it again."
After a lifetime of competing around the world, there is an additional incentive ahead of this year's Daybreaker: "I’m having a ride with Hayden on Wednesday afternoon. He asked if I wanted to drive, but I said, 'No, no, no—I’m quite happy just going for the ride.'"