1st Mini Europe Rally 

The first MER was held from the 12^th to the 19th March 1994. I was very excited as our car had start number 1. My co driver Geert and I made our reputation by getting lost in the first section. The start was at the Autotron in Rosmalen. We drove through the southern parts of Holland to Trier, where we had amazing trips through the wine fields of the Mosel area. The night tour from the Ardennes back to Eindhoven is still famous, as the last competitors checked in at 04.30am. A lot of participants of the first hour will remember this.The racetrack of Valkenswaard was our host the next day, I can remember it was bitter cold, but the soup was warm and the Slalom wonderful.  

After the finish in Tiel, the winners of the first MINI EUROPE RALLY were Pim & Joke Bakker from Holland. The Cup was presented by Mr. Paddy Hopkirk, who flew in from England especially for this occasion. He was picked up at the Airport in a Mini Pick-up that was in bad condition. I think that Gregor Nick is still working on this Mini.

The MER was a big success, and we all hoped for more!