Tulpenrallye 2014

The story of 2014: After the 60th edition, the Tulpenrallye organisation announced that its partnership with route setter Joep Wanders would not be continued after two successful editions. From 2014 the Tulpenrallye would be laid out by father and son Jan and Erwin Berkhof. Both had put “the Tulip” to their name several times as navigator, and Jan in particular had been involved with the Tulpenrallye for many decades, in roles ranging from navigator and route setter to maker of the pace notes and team manager. As promised after the 2013 edition, the finish of this edition was once again in Noordwijk. For the start, 65 years after the idea for the Tulpenrallye was first discussed there, the choice fell on Annecy once more. The Impérial Palace Hotel on the shores of Lac Annecy was by now well known to organisation and competitors alike, and it suited the Tulpenrallye very well. Two nights were booked for this edition, and the route on the first day ran in a great loop through the mountains of the French Alps (in several places there was still a fair amount of snow at the roadside). From there the route led north to Besançon, another familiar stage town in the history of the Tulpenrallye. On the Wednesday, on the way to Horbourg-Wihr in the French Alsace region, the competitors took on the well-known mountains of the Vosges, and on the Thursday there was a short excursion into Germany: Saarbrücken. On the final day of this 61st edition the competitors drove via Vaals to the finish in Noordwijk. Lunch was provided by Firezone Oil in Utrecht, and before the competitors crossed the finish in Noordwijk they first ran the Tulpenrallye Sprint along the boulevard at Noordwijk. The weather in Noordwijk was poor this year, with a great deal of rain and a strong wind. At the last moment the organisation decided to move the finish podium to the large canopy beneath the Pickézaal, in front of the entrance to the Grand Hotel “Huis ter Duin”. The Mappa Mondo houses of the Red Cross were the good cause supported by the Tulpenrallye this year. RTL presenters Frits Wester and Roelof Hemmen crewed the celebrity car and presented a cheque for no less than 40,000 euros at the finish. Autovisie editor-in-chief Jaco Bijlsma appeared at the start in a Porsche from Pon, driving with debutant navigator Diederik Parlevliet, and wrote a fine report on this edition for Autovisie. No fewer than 227 crews came to the start of this edition. Among the leading competitors were Harm Lamberigts / Peter Rovers, father and son Mark and Remco Hagenzieker, Michel Perridon / Maurits Verhoef, Jan Ebus / Thijs Bender, Willem Broens / Thijs de Beus, Pim Janus / Fred Froger, Sinus Sinke / Bart den Hartog, Harry Dekker / Maarten Verweij, Jan Peter and Yolanda Zijl, Paul Zweers / Arjan van der Palen and Alexander Leurs / Peter van Hoof. The Janus brothers of the firm Janus Vaten, who had been closely involved with the first editions of the historic Tulpenrallye and always entered a large number of crews, were of the party once again. They announced this in advance at a fine lunch with the Telegraaf’s Stan Huygens Journaal, talking about the ex-Formula 1 Koni bus they were bringing along on the rally for the team’s gatherings. The crew of Alexander Leurs and Peter van Hoof, in a 1970 Opel Ascona, won this 61st edition of the Tulpenrallye. Alexander Leurs and Peter van Hoof on their victory in the 2014 Tulpenrallye: before the rally Peter had said, “I am driving the ugliest car in the entire field.” One wonders whether he still thought so on the Saturday evening, when he and Alexander were driven into the ballroom of Huis ter Duin perched on the roof of the Ascona. It was a fine close to seven fantastic days. Our thanks to the route setters, those who put out the controls, the marshals, the service crews, those who collected the controls in again, the results office and the sponsors! The experienced crew of Robert van den Camp and Onno den Boer won the Sporting class, whilst Toni Bienemann and Edwin Roos (in a Rolls Royce) won the Touring class. The Vintage class, for which a separate route was laid out this year, was won by father and daughter Charles and Jacqueline Serry in a Bentley.