THE STORY OF 1962
Certainly! Here’s the revised translation:
Jacques Lioni, one of the founding members, is stepping back from the organization this year due to being too busy with other responsibilities. The number of participants is lower this year, especially among the Dutch (41). The National Tulpenrallye has been discontinued because most Dutch participants ultimately prefer to compete in the international competition. However, they are not competitive against the foreign factory teams, which is the main reason for the disappointing number of local registrations. The participants are divided into ten classes, and the new system for calculating the final standings seems even fairer and completely eliminates the possibilities of forming combines.
Although the number of participants is on the lower side, the entire European elite is present at the start. This is an achievement of the organization, especially considering that the Tulpenrallye is one of the few rallies that still does not pay prize money. The Morley Brothers start with number 1 in their Austin Healey. Other contenders include Riley-Astle (also with Austin Healey), Rauno Aaltonen with MG, the German Porsche factory driver Hans Joachim Walter, former European champion Gunnar Andersson from Sweden (with Volvo 122 B 18), Erik Carlsson with Saab, and Ben Pon-Rob Gorris with a Porsche Carrera.
The rally starts on Monday night at 11:51 p.m. The route includes 21 special stages, of which ultimately 18 will be contested. Tuesday morning, the participants are very early at the Nürburgring for the first special stage. Then, they drive through the Eifel and via Saarbrücken into the Vosges for the entire day. The special stage over the Ballon d’Alsace starts with some delay due to an uninstructed gendarme and because a farmer with his cattle needs to clear the stage first. In the early evening, the participants arrive in Geneva for a night with two challenging special stages (Mont Salève and Chamrousse). The next morning, there are still a large number of stages to complete (Col St. Jean, Mont Ventoux, Col des Leques, La Roquette, and Col de Turini) before arriving in Monaco around noon. Here, they can rest for 18 hours until Wednesday morning when the return route begins. During this rest period, no interim results are published, allowing all participants and stakeholders to speculate freely. Via various challenging special stages, the route then leads to Champagnole, where there is a checkpoint at night, after which the caravan arrives in Belfort on Thursday morning. From there, they head back into the Vosges towards Belgium, followed by some stages in Luxembourg. The final stage is held on Thursday afternoon in the Netherlands at the Camerigerberg near Maastricht.
The young Dutch team Vos – Den Boer veers off the road after the stage on Mont Ventoux when a piece of iron punctures a tire. Although they are driving at a low speed, Henk den Boer tragically loses his life in the accident. The Dutch team Ben Pon / Rob Gorris gradually improves their chances of victory during the rally. First, the faster Walter has to retire on the Col de la Charbonnière due to rear axle problems, and then the leading ladies Hall and Domleo crash off the road. However, Pon and Gorris encounter gearbox issues on the return leg. Pieces of iron are found in the gearbox at the Larochette checkpoint. They try to continue with new oil, but their rally comes to an end outside Larochette. The replacement gearbox that is already on its way to the Camerigerberg arrives too late. Dries Jetten, leading in his class at the time, veers off the road at the Camerigerberg. He admits he was not sufficiently focused because he knows the route too well. With the help of a tractor, he is towed back onto the road and eventually reaches the finish.
On Friday, the participants can rest, followed by the awards ceremony on Saturday at 5 p.m., with the closing party at 8 p.m. Meanwhile, Pat Moss makes a quick trip to Luzern to participate in a show jumping competition. The end-of-rally Tulpenrallye party, largely organized by Mr. Tappenbeck of the Grand Hotel ‘Huis ter Duin’, is particularly popular among participants during these years. The hotel is adorned with tens of thousands of tulips, there is a massive cold buffet, and several orchestras perform at the hotel. ‘Huis ter Duin’ is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year! Pat Moss and Ann Riley form the first all-female team to win the Tulpenrallye, and they naturally also take home the Coupe des Dames. For Ann Riley, this is a beautiful conclusion to her rally career as she retires from the sport due to expecting a baby (Tulpenrallye participant Peter Riley is the father). Race director Nortier jokingly questions whether the ladies won according to the rules since there were three people in the car. Joop Heidendahl and Bob Boekhout, with the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, are the top Dutch finishers. The country team
prize goes to England, while the brand team prize is won by Auto Union/DKW. The Royal Swedish Automobile Club team wins the club team prize.
