Trevor Hopkins

A four-time British Rallycross Champion, Trevor Hopkins was a part of the fixtures and fittings of British Rallycross for more than two-decades. Emerging from autocross events in the mid-1970s, Hopkins came to the fore after a top three placing, beating established stars, in a 1975 international event at Lydden. Close to both Rod Chapman and John Taylor, Hopkins benefitted from the help of both, maintaining strong links to Ford via Taylor who went on to be its motorsport boss. Backed for many years by David Haynes’ Haynes of Maidstone Ford Dealership (which had also been Taylor’s backer), Hopkins won the British Rallycross Championship in its first three years (1976, ’77 and ’78) before replacing his Ford Escort MkII with the first Fiesta. The car took some time to develop, but eventually brought Hopkins’ fourth British RX crown in 1985 – the last time the title was won with a two-wheel drive car. A Ford developed Escort 4×4 followed the Fiesta but the transverse-engined car was never fully competitive and Hopkins replaced it with an RS200 which he used until the end of his regular driving career in 1994. In 1993 Hopkins was beaten to the British title by Mike Turpin, one point the winning margin. Trevor Hopkins died in 1999.