Rallying legend Paddy Hopkirk, who is best known for his 1964 Monte Carlo Rally victory in a BMC Mini Cooper, has died at the age of 89.
Hopkirk passed away at Stoke Mandeville Hospital on Thursday.
Hopkirk, who began his rallying career in the 1950s, competed in a wide variety of British-built machinery during a five-decade span, though would ultimately go on to be closely associated with the Mini.
He became one of the leading drivers of the 1960s, conquering the Acropolis Rally in addition to his famous Monte win along with two European Rally Championship wins in Austria and a victory on the Coupe des Alpes in 1967, the last major win of his career.
On the domestic scene he was one of the most prolific drivers in the 1950s, dominating the Circuit of Ireland event five times in a 10-year period between 1957 and 1967. Only Jimmy McRae has managed to surpass his record on the event. He was also a two-time winner on the Cork 20 Rally and found success on the Circuit of Munster in 1959.
But it’s his 1964 success alongside co-driver Henry Liddon in the mountains north of Monte Carlo for which Hopkirk will be best remembered. His diminutive BMC Mini looked no match on paper for Bo Ljungfeldt’s thundering Fold Falcon, the Mini’s little four-cylinder engine producing far less power than the Falcon.
But that extra power was negated by Hopkirk threading his Mini through a snowy and slippery Col de Turini, snatching a lead he was able to preserve to the finish.
To this day Hopkirk and Liddon remain the last all-British crew to win the Monte Carlo Rally.
In later life he would go on to be elected as president of the British Racing Drivers’ Club in 2017 and was a fervent supporter of road safety initiatives, taking on an ambassadorial role with road safety charity IAM RoadSmart.
His association with Mini would last a lifetime after his 1964 Monte win, remaining an ambassador to the marque until his passing.
DirtFish expresses its condolences to the Hopkirk family.
