The now 6de edition of the Zoute GP in the fashionable Knokke became a huge success.
By: Dirk Ivens and Guy Verhulst
On Thursday 8 October the technical inspection took place under a beautiful autumn sun on the Zeedijk near the Albertplein. 185 cars had to undergo this necessary inspection. After the inspection, a Geodynamics tracer was also installed in all these cars. This allowed the organizers to track all vehicles and to check for possible speed violations during the RTs. After all these obligations, the participants in the rally were already allowed to ride a small prologue in the Knock polders in order to determine the starting order for Friday.
In the meantime, the public could marvel at the newest cars of the sponsors on Albertplein and Kustlaan. Porsche, Bentley, Mc Laren, Ferrari and Mercedes, among others, were displayed on 14 venues with the Top Marques. 2 separate tents were also showing cars that Bonhams would auction on Friday evening. Whoever wanted to view those cars had to buy a catalog for that.
On Friday morning the first vintage cars left for 8u for a trip of 120 km through the West Flemish polders. A light drizzle fell. In Ronse, the participants were welcomed with massive interest and with open arms. It was therefore a headache to catch a glimpse of all these beautiful cars. In the Passage, the pilots and co-pilots were offered a very well-prepared afternoon lunch. Radio 2 broadcast live.
In the afternoon the cars drove to Heist where they first had to finish the Flying ¼ Mile. That is a short sprint with slalom where cars and pilots were allowed to show them to a crowd that has already risen. From there, police headed back to Knokke. A first ranking was made.
Bonhams then started the auction to get you 18 punctual. It took place in a crowded tent on Albertplein. Toppers were an 2011 Ferrari 599 SA Aperta for € 891.250, an 1971 Ferrari 365GTB / 4 'Daytona' Berlinetta for € 828.000 and an 2005 Porsche Carrara GT for € 644.000. Investing in vintage cars is therefore still worthwhile.
Again this year a lot of famous figures rode along: Jochen Mass, Derek Bell, Bert Longin, Louis Talpe (aka Mega Toby), Matthias Schoenaerts, Gella Vandecaveye. They helped to further enhance the appearance of the rally.
At 8u30 on Saturday morning the cars left back inland via Zeeuws-Vlaanderen. In the Halve Maan Brewery in Bruges, the entire caravan stopped before the afternoon stop. Many tourists and other enthusiasts were able to enjoy the extensive range of beautiful vintage cars. Film cameras and cameras were therefore eagerly brought up. In the afternoon the participants were first allowed to enjoy themselves in the local slip school. This produced beautiful images and spectacle. The cars then drove back to Knokke. Upon arrival at Albertplein they drove across the stage with great public interest and the participants were offered a glass of bubbles and congratulations. Finally, the cars were parked on the Zeedijk and in surrounding shopping streets.
In the evening a Gala dinner took place in the VIP tent on the Royal Zoute Golf. The winners of the Zoute rally 2015 were also announced there. Overall and post war winners became the team Loosveldt and Dedeyne in an 1951 Jaguar XK120 OTS. In the pre-war cars, the victory went to the Lodomez-Garrot team with a Bugatti 35 from 1924.
At the Concours d'Elegance on Sunday we noticed that for some participants it had only become a short night. On the golf, an 50 competed with numerous other cars for the price of the most beautiful car in one of the many categories. The level and range at this competition is rising year after year. The fact that we saw people from the organization at Villa d'Este and Pebble Beach earlier this year is certainly not strange. The Zoute Grand Prix is therefore increasingly known and appreciated internationally.
While the judging of the Oldtimers was in full swing, an 120 number of newer Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati and other exotics departed on Albertplein for a rally with Flying ¼ mile. Among the participants we also saw some familiar faces here, including Guy Depré from Radio 2 and former tennis player Xavier Malisse. The GT Tour team won the Verbruggen-Schaepdryver team in a Ferrari 458 Spider from 2013. After the afternoon, the Concours d'Elegance cars also drove over the podium under police supervision. The one and only 1930 Bentley 'Speed Six' Blue Train was named '' Best of Show. It was also remarkable that this Bentley was driven by none other than Stephen Brauer and Sandra Button, respectively jury member and Chairman of Pebble Beach. The organizers of the Zoute GP are fortunate to praise themselves with this very successful edition and the rise of such 150.000 spectators. The nice weather and the publicity will not be unfamiliar with this. We are already looking forward to next year.
