R.I.P. Paddy Hopkirk MBE (14 April 1933 - 21 July 2022)
539Rally legend and Winner of the 1964 Monte Carlo Rally and five times Circuit of Ireland champion, Paddy Hopkirk, has passed away aged 89.
Born in Belfast, Paddy Hopkirk began his professional racing career in 1955, competing in hillclimbs and winning the Hewison Trophy three times in a row, which was awarded to the most successful Irish rally driver each year.
His career really took off when he teamed up with the British Motor Corporation and the Mini brand in the 1960s, when he would become famous for driving at ten tenths in a red and white Mini Cooper S at rallies around the world.
In 1964 he won the Monte Carlo rally alongside co-driver Henry Liddon and went on to conquer the gruelling Acropolis Rally in 1967, yet again at the wheel of a mighty mini. In 2016 he was awarded an MBE and he will be fondly remembered and missed by rally fans around the world.
We pay tribute to Paddy with this selection of clips from his victory in the 1990 Classic Marathon rally, driving the iconic red and white mini.