Tulpenrallye 1962

The story of 1962: Jacques Lioni, one of the men of the first hour, withdrew from the organisation this year because he was too busy with other work. The number of competitors was disappointing this year, particularly among the Dutch (41). The National Tulpenrallye had been abolished, because in the end most Dutch drivers preferred to take part in the international event. There, however, they were no match for the foreign works teams, which was the main reason for the disappointing number of home entries. The competitors were divided across ten classes, and the new system for calculating the final classification looked fairer still and ruled out any possibility of forming alliances. Although the number of competitors was on the low side, the whole of the European elite appeared at the start. This was an achievement for the organisers, particularly when one considers that the Tulpenrallye was one of the few rallies that still paid no prize money. The Morley Brothers started with number 1 in their Austin Healey. Other contenders were Riley-Astle (also with an Austin Healey), Rauno Aaltonen with an MG, the German Porsche works driver Hans Joachim Walter, the former European champion Gunnar Andersson from Sweden (with a Volvo 122 B 18), Erik Carlsson with a Saab and Ben Pon-Rob Gorris with a Porsche Carrera. The start took place at 23.51 on Monday night. 21 special tests were included in the route, of which 18 would eventually be run. Very early on the Tuesday morning the competitors were at the Nürburgring for the first special test. From there the route ran first through the Eifel and then, by way of Saarbrücken, spent the whole day in the Vosges. The test over the Ballon d’Alsace started with a good deal of delay, caused by a gendarme who had not been properly briefed and because a farmer had to bring his cattle across the test first. Early in the evening the competitors arrived in Genève for a night with two demanding tests (Mont Salève and Chamrousse). The following morning brought a further large number of tests as well (Col St. Jean, Mont Ventoux, Col des Leques, La Roquette and the Col de Turini), before the competitors reached Monaco around midday. Here they had 18 hours’ rest until Wednesday morning, when the return route began. During this rest halt no interim standings were published, so that all the competitors and everyone else involved could speculate about them to their hearts’ content. By way of various demanding special tests the route then led to Champagnole, where there was a control during the night, after which the field arrived in Belfort on the Thursday morning. From there it went once more through the Vosges to Belgium, followed by several tests in Luxembourg. The last test was run on the Thursday afternoon in the Netherlands, on the Camerigerberg near Maastricht. The young Dutch crew of Vos – Den Boer went off the road after the test on the Mont Ventoux when a piece of iron tore a tyre. Although they were travelling only at low speed, Henk den Boer lost his life. The Dutch crew of Ben Pon / Rob Gorris saw their chances of victory improve steadily during the rally, first when the faster Walter had to retire on the Col de la Charbonnière with rear axle trouble, and then when the ladies Hall and Domleo, who were leading at that point, went off the road. On the way back, however, Pon and Gorris ran into gearbox trouble. At the control in Larochette there were bits of metal lying in the box. They tried to press on with fresh oil, but just outside Larochette the rally came to an end for them. The replacement gearbox that was already on its way to the Camerigerberg arrived too late. Dries Jetten, the leader in his class at that moment, went off the road on the Camerigerberg. He admitted himself that he had not been concentrating hard enough, because he knew the stretch too well. A tractor pulled him back onto the road and he reached the finish after all. On the Friday the competitors were able to rest, after which the prize-giving took place on the Saturday at five in the afternoon, followed by the closing party at eight. Pat Moss, meanwhile, flew over to Luzern and back to take part in a show jumping event. The Tulpenrallye party at the end of the rally, organised largely by Mr Tappenbeck of the Grand Hotel ‘Huis ter Duin’, was exceptionally popular with the competitors in these years. The hotel was decorated with tens of thousands of tulips, an enormous cold buffet appeared and various orchestras played in the hotel. ‘Huis ter Duin’ was 75 years old this year! Pat Moss and Ann Riley were the first all-female crew to win the Tulpenrallye, and with it they naturally took the Coupe des Dames home as well. For Ann Riley it was a particularly fine end to her rally career. She was giving up the sport because she was expecting a baby (Tulpenrallye competitor Peter Riley being the father). Clerk of the course Nortier referred to this at the prize-giving by wondering whether the ladies had in fact won within the rules, given that there had been three people in the car. Joop Heidendahl and Bob Boekhout, with an Alfa Romeo Giulietta, were the best-placed Dutchmen. The nations team prize went to England, whilst the manufacturers’ team classification was won by Auto Union/DKW. The team of the Royal Swedish Automobile Club won the club team prize.