Tiff Needell interviewing mini rallying legend Paddy Hopkirk MBE, in the International Paddock, during the Silverstone Classic Media Day 2019
Patrick Barron "Paddy" Hopkirk MBE (born 14 April 1933) is a former rally driver from Northern Ireland. He was awarded an MBE in the 2016 New Year's Honours list. In early 2016 Hopkirk became the IAM RoadSmart Mature Drivers Ambassador. Hopkirk's first win came in 1953 at the Cairncastle hillclimb at the wheel of a Beetle, reg no EI 5756. He was offered a free Beetle for the 1953 Circuit Of Ireland by Isaac Agnew of Belfast. It would be the first of many Circuit entries: the following year he led the Circuit on the first day of the competition. He started his winning career in professional racing and rally driving in 1955, taking a class win at that year's Circuit of Ireland, and clinching his first Hewison Trophy, awarded to the most successful Irish rally driver of the year: he would go on to win the Trophy for three consecutive years. By this time he had graduated to a Triumph TR2. His success in the Triumph was noticed by the Standard Motor Company, who offered Hopkirk his first factory drive in a Standard Ten at the 1956 RAC Rally in March of that year, where he took the early lead before suffering problems later on. Two months later he took a Standard Eight to third place in the Tulip Rally in the Netherlands - his first trip outside of Britain and Ireland. However he lost his drive with Standard in 1958, after overdriving his car at the Alpine Rally in an effort to make up time lost due to a puncture on the Stelvio Pass, damaging the engine and forcing him to retire from the competition. The following year he joined the Rootes Group as a works driver, initially picking up a drive in a Hillman Husky at the Safari Rally after reigning F1 World Champion Mike Hawthorn, who was originally meant to drive the car, was killed in a road accident. Later that year he placed third overall and took a class win at the Alpine Rally in a Sunbeam Rapier, and he led the 1960 Safari Rally until his Rapier suffered a differential failure.
Size: 5018px × 3520px
Location: Silverstone Circuit, Towcester, Northamptonshire NN12 8TN
Photo credit: © John Gaffen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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