THE STORY OF 2003
The organization decides to celebrate the 50th edition of the Tulpenrallye in an extravagant manner this year. To make the route even more interesting, the rally does not start in Noordwijk but in Aix-les-Bains, not far from Annecy where the idea for the Tulpenrallye was born 55 years ago at Lac d’Annecy. Starting abroad presents the organization with several significant and new challenges, all of which are overcome during the preparation.
Participants gather in Aix-les-Bains, France, on Sunday, May 10th, for document checks and a reception. Various activities are undertaken to highlight the special anniversary of the Tulpenrallye. Maus Gatsonides’ car “Platje” is brought on a trailer to Aix-les-Bains, a barrel organ plays all day in front of the hotel, and a beautiful anniversary watch is offered for sale by a jeweler from Noordwijk.
On the first day, a long loop through the Alps is driven, with a lunch in Alpe d’Huez, followed by participants returning to Aix-les-Bains in the evening. The organization discovers the evening before the stage that a large part of the route is impassable due to remaining snow, requiring significant adjustments. On Tuesday, teams drive to Malbuisson through the Jura, followed by tackling all the major cols in the Vosges on Wednesday on the way to Riquewihr. On Thursday, participants drive to Luxembourg, and on Friday to Priorij Corsendonck near Turnhout. The weather is beautiful on this day, and in the garden of Priorij, it becomes quite late for almost all participants. The participants agree that starting abroad makes the Tulpenrallye much more interesting. On Saturday, a secret stage awaits before participants reach the finish in Noordwijk.
With 222 teams at the start, this is the fourth-largest Tulpenrallye. Count Hugo van Zuylen van Nijevelt, the first Dutch winner of the Tulpenrallye, appears at the start with a Jowett Javelin, identical to the car with which he won the Tulpenrallye in 1952. The count has been a member of the Tulpenrallye’s Advisory Committee for many years and continues to closely follow the event. His estate, Duinrell, has been included in the route for several years, and he is always present at the finish. He is persuaded to participate again in this special anniversary edition. He finds it quite strenuous and notes that the rally has clearly changed, partly due to the busy normal traffic on public roads compared to the ’50s.
The competition in the Sport class is particularly exciting. Karel Westerman and Martin Roosenboom with Porsche 356B win this edition of the Tulpenrallye and are allowed to inscribe their names in the Coupe Rallye des Tulipes. Eddy van den Hoorn and René Smeets finish in second place. The engine of the Volvo with which they registered breaks down on the way to the start, and they are allowed to borrow an Alfa Romeo from Jan Ebus, which is brought to Aix-les-Bains on the night before the start. Jan Ebus / Jan Berkhof finish in third place in this special anniversary edition.
The organization decides to celebrate the 50th edition of the Tulpenrallye in an extravagant manner this year. To make the route even more interesting, the rally does not start in Noordwijk but in Aix-les-Bains, not far from Annecy where the idea for the Tulpenrallye was born 55 years ago at Lac d’Annecy. Starting abroad presents the organization with several significant and new challenges, all of which are overcome during the preparation.
Participants gather in Aix-les-Bains, France, on Sunday, May 10th, for document checks and a reception. Various activities are undertaken to highlight the special anniversary of the Tulpenrallye. Maus Gatsonides’ car “Platje” is brought on a trailer to Aix-les-Bains, a barrel organ plays all day in front of the hotel, and a beautiful anniversary watch is offered for sale by a jeweler from Noordwijk.
On the first day, a long loop through the Alps is driven, with a lunch in Alpe d’Huez, followed by participants returning to Aix-les-Bains in the evening. The organization discovers the evening before the stage that a large part of the route is impassable due to remaining snow, requiring significant adjustments. On Tuesday, teams drive to Malbuisson through the Jura, followed by tackling all the major cols in the Vosges on Wednesday on the way to Riquewihr. On Thursday, participants drive to Luxembourg, and on Friday to Priorij Corsendonck near Turnhout. The weather is beautiful on this day, and in the garden of Priorij, it becomes quite late for almost all participants. The participants agree that starting abroad makes the Tulpenrallye much more interesting. On Saturday, a secret stage awaits before participants reach the finish in Noordwijk.
With 222 teams at the start, this is the fourth-largest Tulpenrallye. Count Hugo van Zuylen van Nijevelt, the first Dutch winner of the Tulpenrallye, appears at the start with a Jowett Javelin, identical to the car with which he won the Tulpenrallye in 1952. The count has been a member of the Tulpenrallye’s Advisory Committee for many years and continues to closely follow the event. His estate, Duinrell, has been included in the route for several years, and he is always present at the finish. He is persuaded to participate again in this special anniversary edition. He finds it quite strenuous and notes that the rally has clearly changed, partly due to the busy normal traffic on public roads compared to the ’50s.
The competition in the Sport class is particularly exciting. Karel Westerman and Martin Roosenboom with Porsche 356B win this edition of the Tulpenrallye and are allowed to inscribe their names in the Coupe Rallye des Tulipes. Eddy van den Hoorn and René Smeets finish in second place. The engine of the Volvo with which they registered breaks down on the way to the start, and they are allowed to borrow an Alfa Romeo from Jan Ebus, which is brought to Aix-les-Bains on the night before the start. Jan Ebus / Jan Berkhof finish in third place in this special anniversary edition.
Both participants and the organization regard the adventure of starting at a great distance abroad as very positive. The first day through the Netherlands with heavy traffic and limited navigation options is thus a thing of the past. The rally starts directly in the rally area, and participants also view the somewhat longer journey to the start location as positive and as part of the rally experience. Starting abroad has been part of the Tulpenrallye concept since 2003 and will not change thereafter.
Both participants and the organization regard the adventure of starting at a great distance abroad as very positive. The first day through the Netherlands with heavy traffic and limited navigation options is thus a thing of the past. The rally starts directly in the rally area, and participants also view the somewhat longer journey to the start location as positive and as part of the rally experience. Starting abroad has been part of the Tulpenrallye concept since 2003 and will not change thereafter.
