Tulpenrallye 1980

The story of 1980: Despite a promising debut in 1979, the organising A.M.A.C. was refused European status for 1980. This year, held in spring once again as tradition dictated, a fresh attempt was made with a rally that was once more run entirely within the Netherlands. Opel and Gulf were again the event's main sponsors, whilst ‘De Flint’ in Amersfoort served as the rally centre for another year. The location of the tests was once again kept secret. Co-organiser Jan Berkhof had made pace notes for every test, and these were issued to the competitors shortly before the start. As the previous year's winner, Bror Danielsson started at number 1 in a Ford Escort RS 1800. He was followed by the other favourites, among them Jan van der Marel and Bruno van Traa, Dutch champions in 1979, in an Opel Kadett GTE (and not yet in the very fast Opel Ascona 400 announced earlier), and the Norwegians Jölsen-Lie in a Vauxhall Chevette. The Danes Jens Ole Kristiansen and Morten Spiro, both in an Opel Ascona, followed at numbers 4 and 5. The entire Dutch rally elite — Henk Vossen, André Jetten, Renger Guliker, John Bestebreurtje and Ko Faas — was of course present. Other interesting entries were the French works driver Bruno Saby in a Renault 5 Alpine and the Swede Kjell Melin, who would return many times in the years that followed. Among the 112 competitors at the start were 28 foreign crews. The route took in 25 special tests, close to 200 km in all. After scrutineering on Friday 18 April, the competitors set off at ten in the evening. At 06.30 on Saturday morning the caravan returned to Amersfoort, only to leave again at 09.30. The night section from Friday into Saturday included, among other things, the special test on the Vlasakkers near Amersfoort, which was run twice. There was also a test of no more than 1200 metres on the kart circuit at Driebergen. Bruno Saby had reconnoitred that test in a kart before the rally, which was one reason why he set one of the fastest times there. The Saturday day section — the finish came at seven in the evening in Amersfoort — contained tests that would reappear in the route for many years afterwards, such as the Stroese Zand military training ground beside the A1 at Stroe, a test across the Flevohof, a test at the ’t Harde firing range and the closing test on the Harselaar industrial estate near Barneveld. Danielsson and Van der Marel were remarkably evenly matched and were locked in a gripping battle for the whole rally. Almost at once Danielsson lost more than two minutes to Van der Marel when he was left with only third gear for the second part of the test on the Vlasakkers. Behind them came J.O. Kristiansen and T. Jölsen, close enough to make sure that neither of the leaders could afford to relax. Henk Vossen changed a complete gearbox along the way in 24 minutes. Throughout the rally the fight for first place was mainly between Van der Marel and Van Traa and Danielsson and Vogt, and it was settled in the end in favour of A.M.A.C. member Jan van der Marel. At the finish Bror Danielsson was no more than 62 seconds behind. Bak and Bouwhuis won the national class in a Porsche Carrera, followed by the two AVD policemen Paul Maaskant and Ruud Oosterbaan. The prize-giving was held on Saturday evening after the finish in Amersfoort, at ‘De Flint’. Two F.I.A. observers again attended the event, and the organisers dearly hoped that they would give a favourable recommendation on a possible restoration of European status for the rally the following year.