"I was told to show Paddy Hopkirk the ropes..."
Willy Cave: One of the top international rally navigators of the 1950s and '60s. His career as a works team member ran from 1955 until 1971 and included drives for Standard Triumph and Rover as well as BMC. "I was taken to see Ken Richardson, the Triumph team boss. He said to me: 'we've got this fresh Irish lad Paddy Hopkirk. Take him out and show him the ropes." - Willy on how he got to drive with a young Paddy Hopkirk. "Before the start Stuart Turner lent us a brand new Cooper S to try out. We took it up the Colde la Sainte Baume just outside Marseilles and it was clearly much faster than our car. When we got to the top, John said, 'I'm going into the cafe for a drink, you have a go.' I eagerly jumped in and, never having driven a Mini before, spun it completely at the first corner. Thank God I never hit anything as it was the team's spare car!" - Willy on his first experience of a Cooper S.