Legendary Northern Irish rally driver Paddy Hopkirk has died
Legendary Northern Irish rally driver Patrick ‘Paddy’ Hopkirk has passed away aged 89.
Patrick ‘Paddy’ Hopkirk clinched this famous Monte Carlo Rally victory behind the wheel of the classic Mini Cooper S number 37 at the Rally in 1964. Driving the small British car with his English co-pilot Henry Liddon, Hopkirk overcame the odds against competitors with significantly greater engine power.
Reminiscing about the Monte Carlo Rally and his win, Paddy added “Everybody wanted to win the Monte Carlo Rally, it was a very glamorous event, so when I joined the British Motor Corporation and the Mini came along it surprised the world. It became a David and Goliath with the might of the other car manufacturers spending a fortune to try and win the event. We were beaten by the big American cars down the straights, but we would beat them on the twisty bits! For the Mini to win against really powerful cars, showed just how good it was – it made the car famous.”
