THE STORY OF 2022
The 68th Tulpenrallye begins on Sunday, May 8, 2022, just 400 kilometers away from Utrecht in Frankfurt. In recent years, a starting location this close hasn’t been used. The reason for this choice dates back to the spring of 2020 (at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic) with all the uncertainties of that time.
The Veterans class is introduced this year. The occupancy of the Vintage class has decreased over the years, partly due to more teams with vintage cars registering in other competition classes. The Vintage class is open to all participants with a car eligible for the Tulpenrallye and features a program with a shorter route that includes several connecting sections between the map reading sections.
The Prologue is once again organized at Autotron in Rosmalen in collaboration with Autotron Exclusives. Stichting DON (Diabetes Onderzoek Nederland) is the supported charity this year. Gijs van Lennep is again the ambassador for the charity, and thanks to his efforts, a check of 40,000 euros can be presented at the finish in Valkenburg.
This year, 179 crews start the rally. The number of crews is slightly lower than in the years before COVID, partly because the previous edition was held just 6 months earlier. Almost all crews embark on the “Gravenbrucher Tour” on Sunday, a route set by the organization to help participants become familiar with the route book, route controls, and the new Rallycheck app.
The Rallycheck app is used for the first time this year. While driving the rally, the use of mobile phones is not allowed, and the Route Controls that teams pass are written down with a pen on an RC card. After passing the finish at lunchtime and at the end of the day, teams enter the noted controls via the app. This allows the data to reach the Tulpenrallye’s scoring department digitally, enabling them to calculate the initial standings much faster.
The rally truly begins on Monday morning. The route passes through the finish places Karlsruhe, Horbourg-Wihr, Nancy, Luxembourg, and Valkenburg. The first rally day in Germany does not result in a classification because the teams make too few mistakes. The route this day is particularly beautiful through the German Eifel, but due to the increasing number of roads marked with “Anlieger Frei” (resident access only), the navigation challenges are limited. On average, an Expert team incurs 81 penalty points this day.
For the Expert drivers, there is an evening stage on Wednesday that is largely driven in the dark. This year, it is very dark as the rally winds through the vineyards. The average penalty points for an Expert team this Wednesday are 1,378 penalty points. During the evening stage, the route is blocked several times by local residents, and ultimately, the last part of the route has to be neutralized as a result. The evening stage remains a topic of discussion for a long time.
The last day is exciting in all classes. In the Expert class, the points difference between the teams Hans van der Kooij / Bas de Rijk and Jacqueline Donders-Zuiderwijk / Jürgen Donders is only 70 points. That is less than the penalty points for missing a route control or 35 seconds in a regularity section. After a very tense day for both teams (visible on their faces), Donders / Donders make too many mistakes, and van der Kooij / de Rijk become the winners of the “Coupe Rallye des Tulipes” in the Expert class of the Tulpenrallye 2022. They have fought until the last bend of the rally, and that effort is rewarded.
In the Sporting class, Daan van der Vliet and Jord van der Vliet take first place. In the Touring class, father and son Floris van Silfhout and Henk van Silfhout emerge victorious. The Veterans class is won by the experienced team of Cees Hogendoorn and Cor Verbrugge.
