THE STORY OF 2019
The 66th Tulpenrallye started on Sunday, May 12, 2019, in Andorra, a remarkable 1,326 kilometers away from Utrecht. Unfortunately, the northern access road to Andorra was blocked due to a rockslide, so everyone had to detour through Spain. Nearly all teams participated in the “Andorra Tour,” a route laid out by the organizers to familiarize themselves with the rally’s route book. This year, 202 teams participated in the rally.
The finishing locations in this edition were Perpignan, Avignon, Aix-les-Bains, Belfort, Luxembourg, and Valkenburg. After the first day of the rally, it was noticeable that a few teams in the Touring and Expert categories incurred only a few penalty points, surprising given that they weren’t considered the top contenders. Impressive!
On Tuesday, a regularity stage was set along a mountain with numerous hairpin bends, spanning just 1.9 kilometers. Starting uphill required strength, and downhill had lots of sand. Many teams struggled to maintain the correct average speed.
Just before Aix-les-Bains, there was a regularity section towards the TC-in (Time Control in). Entering a city without seeing the “End of Regularity” sign didn’t feel right, as the Route Directors had overlooked this route. Part of the regularity was neutralized as a result.
By Thursday evening, the rankings were finalized. In the Touring category, it was very close for the second and third places. The difference in points between the teams Danielle Kleyheeg-Berry Beukers and Thecla van de Kamp-Frank Wilschut was just 2 points. On the final day, both teams incurred the same penalty points, allowing Danielle Kleyheeg-Berry Beukers to maintain their second-place position.
The Vintage class was won by Robert van den Camp and Onno den Boer. Wim and Tom Lieshout emerged as winners in the Touring class, while Niels Jongste and Rik Aalders secured first place in the Sport class.
Harm Lambrigts and Bart den Hartog were the winners of the “Coupe Rallye des Tulipes” in the Expert class of the 2019 Tulpenrallye.
