THE STORY OF 2012
After eight particularly successful editions, route planners Adrie Brugmans and Jaap Daamen bid farewell to the organization of the Tulpenrallye, with Joep Wanders stepping in to lay out the course. Joep is no stranger to the Dutch rally scene. He has previously participated in the Tulpenrallye, both as a driver and navigator, and has mapped out numerous rallies.
The Tulpenrallye returns to the eastern border of France. Evian-les-Bains, on the southern shores of Lake Geneva, is chosen as the starting point this time. The Hilton hotel there serves as the base for the first day. Brons/Geelhuysen in the 1925 Mathis GM sport are the first team to depart. The start takes place on Monday morning in front of the beautiful town hall of Evian-les-Bains, from where participants embark on an exciting route through numerous ski areas in the region, finishing the day in Aix-les-Bains. Here, on Tuesday, they kick off with a test along the banks of Lac de Bourget. By the end of Tuesday, the French-Swiss border is briefly crossed for an overnight stay in Thun, Switzerland. Wednesday sees Hotel L’Europe in Horbourg-Wihr, in the heart of the Vosges, selected as HQ for the rally. From here, the Expert class teams embark on the evening stage, still part of the program for this class. From the Vosges, the caravan then heads eastwards to Germany for an overnight stay in the tranquil spa town of Bad Kreuznach. Friday brings a particularly long stage to Castle Vaeshartelt in Maastricht. On Saturday, the route winds through the Netherlands, with participants first tackling the Tulpenrallye Sprint along the boulevard in the flower resort town of Noordwijk, before finishing at Grand Hotel “Huis ter Duin”.
The Tulpenrallye once again supports the KiKa Foundation. RTL presenters Frits Wester and Roelof Hemmen man the BN car, and thanks in part to their energy and enthusiasm, a check for 30,000 euros is presented to KiKa at the end of this edition.
The route doesn’t run entirely smoothly this edition. The schedules are a bit tight in places, and the route instructions in Switzerland are not quite accurate. The organization ensures that these issues are corrected and promises participants that this will be better managed next time.
Interest in the Tulpenrallye is particularly high. Immediately after opening registration, the maximum number of participants is reached. Over 200 teams start in this edition, divided into 4 classes. Among the key participants are Renger Guliker / Pim ‘Hart, Peter Dutman / Gijsbert van Rooijen, Cees de Jong / Jaap Verplanken, Maarten van Lith / Peter van Hoof, Michel Perridon / Maurits Verhoeff, John Temmink / Wouter Bakker, Albert Boekel, who has driven the Tulpenrallye for many years with the new route planner Joep Wanders, along with Han van Kasteren, Jan and Kees Vaandrager, Paul Zweers / Arjan van der Palen, and Rinus Sinke / Bart den Hartog.
Rinus Sinke and Bart den Hartog win the Coupe Rallye des Tulipes for the second time in their 1957 Austin-Healey. They have a comfortable lead at the finish over the team of Paul Zweers / Arjan van der Palen (a remarkable feat after winning the Sporting class in the previous edition) and father and son Jan and Kees Vaandrager with Austin Healey. Adrie Brugmans and Jaap Daamen (the route planners of the previous 8 editions) finish in a very commendable 13th place in the Expert class.
The Sporting class is won by Olaf Pothoven and Piet van Leusden. An remarkable story as these two men had never rallied together before. They meet for the first time on the Saturday before the start of this 59th Tulpenrallye, get along well, and are rewarded with a very impressive victory in the Sporting class. The brothers Kerst and Erik Koeze win the Touring class, while Maries Dinaux and Eric van Straaten emerge as the winners in the Vintage class.
