The report is by Continental Captain Ellen Pfeiffer and translated for WIMA News by Anke-Eve Goldmann: Despite the West German Grand Prix at Hockenheim, despite the 1000 km race and the BMW Reunion in Munich, the 1966 WIMA Continental rally attracted women from Austria, Holland and Germany. They gathered on the marvellous camping ground of our Dutch member, Renee, to spend some very enjoyable days.
FirstonourprogrammewasanOrientationRunallover the Netherlands. This meant riding to scheduled control points using the shortest way possible. The ideal line was 140 km long and led through beautiful Dutch countryside, strictly using small roads and dam tracks in parts so narrow that the sidecar outfits had to take care. The event was won by Jo from Ubach (NL), who is an old hand at this type of competition. She did 160 km – 20 more than the absolute minimum. Her victory proved an old truth – do the Orientation Runs alone with nobody interfering with your decisions. All these runs hitherto performed were won by solo riders; the sidecars being slower came in further down the list.
Next day, we staged the traditional Fox Hunt. There were marks on the roads such as ‘wolf’, ‘mouse’, ‘hedgehog’, ‘ape’, etc., which had to be found. This run was about 50 km long and ended in a large park, where a huge white elephant splashed water in a basin. A rose handkerchief was fastened to his tail, and this very handkerchief had to be found. What do you think a motorcycle rider thinks when she sees that elephant after so much painful searching, trying and reading marks? Well only one of us – Dores from Neviges – had the brain power, rushed over and was enthusiastically celebrated. The other less fortunate fox hunters – with blisters under their feet – consequently trotted to the next cafe to restore their aching limbs.
Next afternoon with spirits and stomachs refreshed, the Motocross started. The track went into long deep grass, sand and rubbish. Penalty points were given for each fault. Renee started on the motocross mount of her husband – and how she can gun that monster! Unfortunately the Lito was too fast so Renee received several penalties. Renate from Kassel showed skill on the side-car outfit. And then came Dores leaving no chance to the others. Though she had no penalty-free run, she comfortably won the Motocross.
On the evening of that particularly eventful day, we all sat together in Renee’s saloon and looked at the photos of earlier WIMA meetings. Discussion grew hot about the topic of trophies awarded to women in motorcycle competitions. Many girls compete with
combo outfits, having their husbands in the sidecar, thus always running the risk of arousing disbelief. Who will believe that a tiny doll rides the huge outfit over hundreds of kilometres while her husband sits in the sidecar twiddling his thumbs? This is why we believe the girls ought to prefer solo competition. Naturally the husbands protested against such suggestions.
Sunday morning, we had a Picture Search run. Pictures were distributed, which had to be used for finding certain signposts and the numbers of which had to be written down (each Dutch signpost does have such a number). The fastest girl won. And this was Jo again, who scored a clear win. With this, she became overall winner of the WIMA Continental rally and received the main trophy. The celebration of the winner and handing over of trophies was immediately after the last competition.
After the last sound of the hymns had died away, the tents were packed. And just avoiding the big rain, the last motorcycle left the lovely spot which had given us so much pleasure. The silence had again taken over Aalst, and the girls on their motorcycles were gone.
