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 The DATSUN FAIRLADY ROADSTER in the
1968 & 1969 TULIP RALLIES

1968 Tulip Rally

HANNU MIKKOLA'S 'WORKS' DATSUN FAIRLADY 2000 - TULIP RALLYE, 1968 
(Picture copyright ROB BEDDINGTON, 2002).

 

1968 Tulip Rally

From 1949 until 1990 the Dutch Tulpen (or Tulip) Rallye was a well known rally on the European stage, and for a number of years it held international status as a European championship rally. It's status on the rally scene changed in 1991, when it became a "historic rally".

The 1968 TULIP RALLYE

In 1968 the Tulpen Rallye, together with the Rallye Monte Carlo, were two of the main events in the 16 rally European championship calendar. That year, Nissan elected to compete with the same cars and crews in both the Monte and the Tulip rallies.
 

 1968 TULIP RALLYE - LIST OF ENTRANTS

In the Rallye, the Roadster crews perfomed well against an experienced field. Although Mikkola featured well in the opening stages, Lusenius eventually outperformed him, overturning the result at the Monte earlier in the year. The results, which gave Nissan further encouragement after the Monte showing,  were as follows:
 

GROUP 3

POINTS
1st R.Clark/J Porter (Ford Escort)

663.5
2nd 0 Andersson/J Davenport (Ford Escort)

668.6
3rd J Lusenius/K Lehto (Datsun Fairlady 2000)

809.7
4th G Larrousse/M Callewaert (Alpine Renault)

1070.6
5th H Mikkola/A Jarvi (Datsun Fairlady 2000)

1192.9
6th J Tordoff/D Griffiths (Porsche 911T)

1536.9
GROUP 1 & 2

POINTS
1st J Vernaeve/M Wood (BMC Cooper S)

790.0
2nd R Slotemaker/J Janssen (BMW 2002)

825.2
3rd N Koob/A Kridel (Alfa Romeo GTA)

893.3
4th A Sigurdson/I Strom (Saab V4)

957.5
5th G Kolwes/H Heine (Volvo 122S)

1139.7
6th Miss M-C Beaumont/Miss C Beckers (NSU TT1200)

1178.0
Class Winners
Clark/Porter (Ford Escort), Lusenius/Lehto (Datsun Fairlady 2000), Haxhe Coolen (Daf 44), Cooper/Deacon (BMC Cooper S), Vernaeve/Wood (BMC Cooper S), Koob/Kribel (Alfa Romeo GTA), Slotemaker/Janssen (BMW 2002).

                                         

 

50 YEARS OF THE TULIP RALLYE, 1949 - 1999

A book commemorating the first 50 years of the Tulip Rallye was published in 1999, tiled "Vijftig jaar Tulpenrallye 1949 - 1999". Three pages were dedicated to the 1968 Rallye and these pages are shown opposite. Although the book is in Dutch, the English translations for the sections covering the Datsun Roadster are shown also.  

(Please click on the links opposite for a summary of the 1968 Rallye)

1968 Tulip Rallye - Page 1

1968 Tulip Rallye - Page 2

1968 Tulip Rallye - Page 3


Click on Thumbnail for larger image

                               

The 1969 TULIP RALLYE

A team of three 1968 high windscreen Datsun Roadsters, entered as "Datsun Sports 2000s" (not "Datsun Fairladies", as the low windscreen 1967 cars were registered for the 1968 Tulip Rallye) competed in the 1969 event. All of the cars in both years were LHD, had DATSUN 2000 badges (no Fairlady badges) and they all had Solex carburettors. They were shipped directly to Europe from Japan before each rally season.

The 1969 Monte Carlo teams of Kossila/Mannonen and Virtapuro/Lindholm had been released by Nissan because of their poor results, and Nissan entered three Dutch teams for the Tulip Rallye. One team, with Rob Janssen at the wheel, managed a respectable 5th place in Group 3, behind a Porsche, two Alfas and an Opel GT. Janssen beat Stanley Palmer's Ferrari 275 GTB into 8th place.

The cars entered in the 1969 Tulip Rallye are believed to be the two cars that competed in the 1969 Monte, which had been repaired following numerous accidents on that Rallye, as well as the 1969 Monte back-up car.  
 

 1969 TULIP RALLYE - LIST OF ENTRANTS

As far as can be ascertained, the 1969 Tulip Rallye was the last European rally event in which the Datsun 2000 competed.

 

  Credits/Acknowledgements  

My thanks go to Roger Loop for sourcing the article and entrant lists, and for providing the English translations. Thanks also to the Europese Bibliotheek for allowing the pages of their commemorative book to be published here. Their e-mail is publisher@eurobib.nl. Quote ISBN number is 90 288 1287 3.

Should you have any further information or images which you think would benefit these pages please E-Mail me.

Rob Beddington

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