Roy Hopkins and Adrienne Hughes from Spencerport, New York were a force to be reckoned with in the early years of Targa. The husband and wife team won the Modern division in 2004 in a BMW M3 and then claimed the Classic division and Overall title three years in a row in 2007, 2008 and 2009 in Woodstock, a classic 1969 BMW 2002.
Adrienne captured what it was like to win in the wet in 2009 in this excerpt from her article in GVC’s der BAYERISCHE brief, their BMW club publication:
“Woodstock has no de-frost, no heat, and the windows are Lexan held in by magnets. They are not weather proof. Gaps abound. My feet are soaking wet and the dampness is creeping up to my ankles. It is absolutely pouring now. Water is coming in everywhere, with the small puddles turning into ponds. Woodstock is slipping and sliding all over the road …
A quick transit to Brigus, a quaint little town with lots of picket fences lining the road — daring you not to hit them — and another wooden deck bridge. The bridge is no problem, since we are in the air most of the way across … We tiptoe through the wet corners, and get every bit of acceleration Woodstock can manage on the straights … Only in the last half kilometer does the rally computer show we are ahead of the required time. Suddenly it’s over and we’re done. Soggy, wet, exhausted, drained, cold and wet winners!”*
From the Winter 2011 edition of the GVC magazine: Roy got involved in the local BMW club in 1983, after purchasing his high school chemistry teacher’s BMW 2002. Over the years he competed in autocross, winter rallies, One Lap of America, Targa Newfoundland, BMW Club Racing, hill climbs and ice racing. He was competitive in all of these venues, and is truly that driver who can jump into any vehicle and drive it to its limit.
“He has run at over 60 different race tracks around the United States. His One Lap experience consists of 17 runs, with eight class wins — placing as high as 4th overall. This occurred while driving a BMW 318i with a Euro motor, accompanied by co-drivers Nancy Becker and Danielle Salley.
“His Targa Newfoundland experience includes seven runs with three overall wins. Roy maintains a stable in Spencerport where you might find him working on anything from a Fire Arrow to Woodstock (his ’69 BMW 2002 Targa winner). He has owned a range of vehicles including a Bavaria, 635, 323i, countless 2002s, and 320is, 528s, 535s, Arrows, Horizons, Darts, Ambassadors, Neons, 325i’s, E30 M3’s, VW Rabbits, a Corvette-powered Tahoe, and Dodge trucks.”
“When the mild-mannered and softspoken Roy is not driving or turning a wrench, he may be found at his paying job, which is either IMR Test Labs in Ithaca or consulting at Arnprior Aerospace (formerly Kodak Labs ) where he is a ‘metallurgist.’ There he performs failure analysis and materials engineering for a wide variety of components — to make them not break and work better! Roy resides in Spencerport with a patient woman who shares many of his automotive interests.”
Adrienne was involved in autocross and rallying with the SCCA for decades. She and Roy competed in the One Lap of America event multiple times. With their club, the Genesee Valley Chapter BMW Car Club of America, she served as a driving instructor, driving committee member, rallymeister and president. Outside of the automotive arena, Adrienne studied the culinary arts in Paris, France and at Johnson & Wales University. She is a connoisseur of single malt scotch whiskey and has been known to travel to Scotland in pursuit of shares of a barrel of a fine brand.**
Photos from The Car Guide, Andrew Harvey, James Lewis and Gordon Sleigh/ GVC der BAYERISCHE brief.
Sources:
* Excerpt from GVC’s der BAYERISCHE brief, Summer 2010
**Excerpt from GVC’s der BAYERISCHE brief, Winter 2011
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