BTCC Wiki
Paddy Hopkirk
Helmet
Driver Details
Nationality {{{{{natflag}}}}} Irish Republic of Ireland
Date of Birth 14/04/1933[1]
Date of Death Unknown
Début Oulton Park 1963
Championships 0 (6th 1963)
2015 Position Unknown
First Win Unknown
Previous Teams Cooper Car Co.
Vitafoam Developments
Career Statistics
Total Entries 0 (0 Starts)
Pole Positions 0
Fastest Laps 0
Wins 0 (0 in Class)
Total Points 0
Current Season
Team Unknown
Car Unknown
Number Standings Points
' 0

Paddy Hopkirk is a former British Saloon Car Championship driver, who often used a Mini Cooper S provided by the Cooper Car Company. Hopkirk is better known for his rallying exploits, but his BSCC career gave him valuable time in his Mini.[1]

Background[]

Hopkirk began racing in 1955, running in sports car races.[2] In the late 50s, Hopkirk began an association with Cooper cars, who developed the Mini Cooper into both a race car, and a rally car.[1] With their backing, Hopkirk became a well known name in rallying, ultimately winning the Monte Carlo Rally of 1964 in the Mini.[1]

BTCC History[]

Hopkirk was asked to drive in the BSCC by Cooper Cars in 1963.[3] Entering the races from Oulton Park until The Molyslip Trophy race, Hopkirk used a Morris Mini Cooper in Class A.[3] A close battle with Christabel Carlisle in his first race spread through the rest of Hopkirk's season, taking 30 points and second in Class A in the final standings.[3] 1964 saw Hopkirk recalled only when Cooper Cars required a driver (with Hopkirk focusing on his rally career), taking his one and only class victory at Silverstone after a race long battle (which ended on the line) with John Fitzpatrick.[4]

1965 and 1966 saw Hopkirk used in a similar role as to 1964, with Hopkirk only appearing three more times for the Cooper Car Company.[5] One podium from these races resulted (with two mechanical failures), with Hopkirk moving on to represent Cooper Cars at the Bathurst in Australia.[1] For 1966, Vitafoam Developments asked Hopkirk to race for them at two races, finishing on the podium for the final time at Brands Hatch, with his final appearance coming at the Kent circuit a month later in the BARC International Motorshow.[6]

BTCC Record[]

A table containing Paddy Hopkirk's best results in the BTCC. The figures after the information about the car used indicate Paddy Hopkirk's best finish at that meeting.

Paddy Hopkirk's BTCC Record
Year Team Pos Pts Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1963 Cooper Car Co. 6th 30 Morris Mini Cooper bgcolor="#E52525" rowspan="2" style="border-radius:5px; color:white;"|A N 6 4 3 2 2 2 3 N
1964 9th 20 Mini Cooper S 2 N 2 1 N bgcolor="white" style="color:black; font-size:90%; border-radius:5px;"|DNS N - -
1965 4 bgcolor="#214B9B" rowspan="2" style="border-radius:5px; color:white;"|B N 3 N 8 N R N - -
1966 Vitafoam Developments 4 N 3 N 6 - -

References[]