On Thursday, July 21, 2022, British motorsport idol Patrick Barron Hopkirk MBE passed away peacefully at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Buckinghamshire. Hopkirk, who was born in Belfast on April 14, 1933, embarked on a fast-paced career as a racing driver in the 1950s. The world of motorsport and the Mini brand pay their last respects to one of the greats of the industry.
Paddy - as his friends called him - was first and foremost a loving husband and a great father, grandfather and friend who leaves a painful gap in the lives of all who were close to him. Our condolences go to his wife Jennifer, his children Katie, Patrick and William and his six grandchildren.
Many rally participations
Paddy, a successful racing driver and businessman, began his professional motorsport career at the Circuit of Ireland and with his first Hewison Trophy for the most successful Irish rally driver of the year. In the following decades, numerous engagements with various brands and in major rallies followed - such as the Safari Rally, the RAC Rally, the Acropolis Rally, the Tulip Rally, the Alpine Rally and many more.
The legendary victory at the 1964 Monte Carlo Rally
Hopkirk finished his first participation in the Monte Carlo Rally in 1962 in a Sunbeam Rapier in third place. This was followed a year later by sixth place in a Morris Mini Cooper.
The year 1964 catapulted Hopkirk and the Mini Cooper into the history books of motorsport. In a dramatic duel with the Swede Bo Ljungfeldt and his significantly more powerful Ford Falcon, Hopkirk fought a showdown at the Col de Turini and ultimately won the overall classification, thus clinching the first victory at the Monte for the Morris Mini Cooper S.
The surprise coup was celebrated frenetically in Great Britain, making the Mini a legend and Hopkirk Britain's most famous rally driver overnight. The British Prime Minister sent his congratulations and the Beatles sent a card with the words "Now you're one of us, Paddy".
Fair sportsman
But what do numbers and victories say about a person? Hopkirk was also known among colleagues, friends and fans as a fair sportsman and gentleman. In 1968, he and his co-driver Tony Nash stopped their Austin while leading the London-Sydney Marathon to rescue a team that had just crashed from its burning vehicle.
Today we say "Good bye Paddy" one last time - with the certainty that people die, legends live forever.
