Report Volante Rally 2019
Note; the post below has been translated with Google Translate.
10th Volante Rally, Saturday April 13th, 2019
Saturday morning, April 13th, half past 10, at the beautiful Recreatiepark de Heidebloem in Schaijk. The first participants arrive on the dusty country lane to line up their cars on the starting field. It promises to be a sunny but cold day (only 8 degrees). 40 participating teams are expected with cars, ranging from an Austin Healey 3000 built in 1962 to a Volkswagen Polo GTI from 2019. 57 years versus 4 months, they all take on the same “challenge”.
At half past ten, while enjoying coffee with a delicious pastry, the welcome word is provided by our chairman Bertram Padmos, the briefing and some explanation of the program of the day is provided by Paul Neeskens of Rally Support, the home supplier of Volante when it comes to developing and supervising the Rally. After the briefing, the route book may be received and the preparation for the navigators can be started.
A little after eleven, the first team (Rengerink and Doomen in the Porsche 911R) starts. A start is then made in a one-minute cycle. Of the 40 teams there are already a number at the start who are wondering whether they should turn left? Yet every crew leaves the starting field to turn right…
Route 1 concerned the “border approach” system. The route led from the starting location through the Reeksche heide to Escharen, direction Gassel and then to Beers in route 2 according to the “Bol-pijl” system. Route 2 ends at the Ebben tree nursery site for the test.
The test was deliberately organized this year on a closed site, so that we could continue our way undisturbed. In previous years, this (although we actually obeyed the rules) often led to annoyance of fellow road users.
After the test at Ebben, the route is continued with route 3 according to the “points-free route” system. Hereby the teams have quite a free hand to determine the route themselves, but if everything goes well they are driven via Vianen along Cuijk in the direction of Oeffelt and around Gennep to then arrive at the Diepen in Milsbeek where the stamp card had to be returned. and it was time for a coffee break.
Route 4 according to the system “arrows shortest, points second shortest route” passed from Milsbeek along the beautiful border roads of Grafwegen, Breedeweg and De Horst to the German villages of Kranenburg, Mehr and ending in Niel.
Route 5 is driven according to the route description on the map and guided the teams in changing weather conditions through the polder nature of Kekerdom, Erlecom, Persingen (the smallest church village in the Netherlands) via the Ooij over the dike towards Nijmegen. At the end of the dike, route 6 starts again according to the “bulb-arrow” system towards the finish at Fort Lent, where the cars can be parked in the beautiful circular parking lot and a deserved snack and drink is waiting for the participants.
During the drinks and after-talk at Fort Lent, the prize-giving ceremony will be held by our chairman Bertram Padmos. As Bertram also emphasizes in his acceptance speech, we look back on a successful 10th Volante Rally and this day could not have been organized so nicely without the support of our sponsors; HAN Automotive, Detech Engineers, Rally support, De Heidebloem Recreation Park, Classic Cars car magazine, Meguiars, Oliehandel.nl and Mahotec. In addition, a thank you for the management of Volante and the volunteers who organized and supported the Rally this year.
If as a Volante member you want to participate in the organization or support of the Rally or another Volante event as a result of this event, sign up via the contact form on our website.
The Winners of the 10th Volante Rally, Saturday April 13th, 2019:
1st place: BMW 328iT E36
Driver: Luke Kaal
Navigator: Sam van der Horst
2nd place: BMW E46 (i.p.v. Toyota Starlet)
Driver: Kevin Kaiser
Navigator: Marco van Mourik
3rd place: Porsche 911
Driver: Pepijn Timmermans
Navigator: Ronald Timmermans
Photos, made by Anne Pardoel, Ad van Son, Recreatiepark de Heidebloem and Jelte Mollema, can be found below.
The Volante Rally 2019 was made possible with the support of:
