Hondsrug Rally

1971

As outlined in previous Hondsrug Rally reports from Les Hobbs and Hans Veenendaal, this classic Dutch rally is held every year in June, coincidentally on the same weekend as the Dutch TT Grand Prix in Assen.

This meeting, has a long history and the organising club, MC Martinistad, would this year, in June, have normally celebrated the 53rd anniversary of their rally. Sadly though, the event was cancelled because of COVID-19.

Researching my archives I found the original invitation to the 1971 meeting, sent out by MC Martinistad to 'Kiki' Blanchot, the unforgettable president of MC Dragons of Clermont-Ferrand.

An invitation that did not go unanswered since "Kiki ' and some members of the club made the trip to Holland to take part both in this rally and attend the Dutch Grand Prix at the same time.

Of the several thousand photos of rally badges from around the world that I have in my archive, I find those of the Hondsrug Rally produced between the late 1960s and mid-1970s to be among the most beautiful. For Holland only, I would put them at the top of the list of the nicest rally badges for that country.

The logos, different for each year, are beautifully well done. I like their style, their sobriety, their aesthetics and their bright colors. The people who at the time participated in the realization of these logos, for me, deserve congratulations for such a nicely done artistic creation.

The 1971 meeting badge

You can see some of them (those of 1971, 1972, 1973 and 1976) on this website, on the page relating to rally badges beginning with the alphabetical letter 'H'.

Five are missing to date to complete the set I'm talking about; those of the very first meeting of 1968, then of 1969, 1970, 1974 and 1975.

Here they are!

- Jean-Francois Helias