Paddy Hopkirk to drive at the Festival of Speed

The 50th anniversary of the Mini-Cooper's first of three victories on the Monte Carlo Rally will celebrated at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed on 27-29 June.

Paddy Hopkirk will drive a Mini Cooper S up the Goodwood hill, evoking memories of his heroic performance on the mountain stages of Southern France in 1964. The 1964 Monte Carlo Rally featured crews starting from a variety of European cities, such as Oslo, Paris and Glasgow and descending on the Principality after a mammoth three-day drive of over 1400 miles.

Paddy Hopkirk, whose Mini Cooper S was co-driven by Henry Liddon, beat the more powerful Ford Falcon of Bo Ljungfeld and Erik Carlsson’s Saab over a series of stages and driving tests, using the Mini’s agility to maximum effect in the snowy conditions. It also began a run of three wins in four years on the Monte for the Mini; Timo Makinen and Rauno Aaltonen adding successes in 1965 and ’67 respectively and perfectly encapsulating the 2014 Festival of Speed’s theme: 'Addicted to winning'.

Hopkirk is the first in a long line of rally legends to be confirmed as appearing at the Festival of Speed this year. Plenty more will be revealed soon.

• More at the Goodwood Festival of Speed website