THE STORY OF 2010
The stop in Vichy in 2009 was so well received that the organization decided to host the start there in 2010. In the city famous for its mineral water, the Aletti Palace Hotel at Parc des Sources in the city center, which houses France’s oldest opera house, provided a beautiful setting for the start. The fact that a local festival was held over the weekend, with all visitors dressing in traditional attire, added to the ambiance.
The beautiful routes in the Ardèche were included again in the program, with a stop after the first day in Vals-les-Bains. From there, the route looped back towards the mountains on the eastern border of France, and participants ended the day in Aix-les-Bains. Wednesday mostly involved driving through the Jura, with an overnight stay in Murten, Switzerland just over the French border. Pont-a-Mousson, where the rally also stopped in 2009, made a return so that the fourth day could be mostly in the Vosges. To stay in foreign territories for as long as possible and avoid challenges with permits in the Belgian Ardennes, the southern part of Brussels was chosen as the headquarters location for Friday evening. Saturday saw the final stage towards Noordwijk, with a scenic route through northern Belgium and Brabant.
The organization once again supported the good work of the KiKa Foundation. The BN car was driven this year by RTL presenter Marcel Maijer, who has been hosting the TV program about the Tulpenrallye made by RTL for several years. Maijer received assistance from co-presenter Wouter Karssen during this edition.
Every year, the organization collaborates with the Municipality of Noordwijk to enhance the experience for the public visiting the traditional finish of the Tulpenrallye in the village. Together with the DVSCC (Dutch Vintage and Sports Car Club), the Sprint on the boulevard in Noordwijk was conceived. The boulevard was completely closed off for this event, and participating teams were tasked with sprinting 200 meters from a standing start twice along the boulevard, with a stop-a-cheval halfway. The sprint did not count towards the overall standings of the Tulpenrallye but offered additional prizes per class. The event attracted a large number of visitors to the boulevard just before the finish of the Tulpenrallye.
Key participants included Rutger Reinders / Erwin Berkhof, Jan Ebus / Jan Berkhof, Michel Perridon / Pieter van Kruijsdijk, Belgians Eric van Sande / Björn van Overschelde, Ruud Strooper / Ingeborg Guliker, Rinus Sinke / Bart den Hartog, and the Britons Paul Wignall / Mark Appleton.
Renger Guliker participated in his 30th Tulpenrallye, and Dries Jetten received the award for the oldest participant (born in 1936) at the finish. He finished in 30th place in the Expert class, with former Tulpenrallye planner Hans Brinkman as navigator.
This edition was dubbed by some seasoned participants as the toughest Tulip in ages due to unprecedented severe weather conditions including almost incessant rain, cold, wind, hail, and snow plaguing the classic rally field. Kudos to all resilient participants, especially those driving open Vintage cars who unexpectedly found themselves in wintry rally conditions. Both equipment and participants were severely tested, resulting in a larger number of retirements than usual. Jan Tinga arranged for an additional truck to come to Brussels to retrieve the retired cars.
However, no one should think that this edition of the Tulpenrallye was less successful because of this. The spirit remained high, and opinions at the closing celebration were as positive and enthusiastic as ever.
The international character of “the Tulp” was highlighted this year with non-Dutch teams winning the Expert and Touring classes. The final standings of the Nations Cup also spoke volumes: UK-1 and Belgium teams took first and second places, with Netherlands-2 in third. Paul Wignall and Mark Appleton (just ahead of the 2009 winners Rinus Sinke and Bart den Hartog) referred to this rally as the best-organized classic rally.
In the Sporting class, Mark Hagenzieker and his son Remco claimed victory. Flemish rookies Jurgen Anthoni and An Poelmans won the Touring class, and the Vintage class was won by Michiel Hehenkamp and Ron Nakken.
