The 1997 international rally took place during something of a mini heatwave. The venue was a camping field and there were 327 participants, limited for organisational reasons.
Conny Kiser from WIMA Switzerland wrote an article for Moto Sport Schweiz, partially reproduced here.
WIMA find ich prima! – I think WIMA’s great!
On the ‘free’ Monday, some women take advantage of the hour, to plunder the local supermarkets. Others seize the opportunity to solve scavenger hunt puzzles at the same time. In the evening OK-Team-Holland present the weekly programme. The usual ‘battle’ at the buffet goes on: queue, hungry, cast envious glances at already-filled plates and then finally grab something from the grand offering. There is enough for everyone.
On Tuesday we visit the Arcen castle gardens – trees and flowers as far as the eye can see! Various gardens display their full splendour and it’s a pleasure to discover and smell the full beauty of nature. The evening disco and campfire tempt some women to sacrifice sleep on the altar of celebration.
Wednesday’s gymkhana is for elite athletes. It starts with a tricky shootout goal wall. Well, what professionals on TV can’t do shouldn’t prevent us from at least trying. Then, like the Hunchback of Notre Dame, we hobble along a predetermined route with a wooden shoe and a small bucket of milk to meet with a nice Dutch woman at the end of the way with a stopwatch… Oh! And then the Skippy-T tour! With small sitting balls (space hoppers), a figure of eight course to be hopped as quickly and elegantly as possible. Manual dexterity and imagination are required for the fumble bin to identify the five objects in it (spark plugs, air filter, side stand, etc.) within a minute. The obstacle course has us tackling hurdles made of straw bales wrapped in black plastic, in a helmet, and carrying a rugby ball and water-filled serving tray back and forth. There is diving, sweeping, running and sliding, but the plastic tarpaulin holds up. Oh yes – the already slippery sheet has been greased! … The women’s band ‘Groove the Princess’ really heats up the evening, it’s banging and rocking! We’re exhausted.
The rally takes place on Thursday. The sun burns down on us mercilessly. Ride off – count roads – turn indicators – check references – turn around – continue riding. On small, fine and unusually flat roads, we curve from intersection to intersection. At a post we are allowed to try our luck with horseshoe throwing. At another checkpoint we must prove our slow riding skills.
On the last day, some go to the Clog Museum while others go to the lake shore and swimming pools.
This year prizes are kept to a minimum and the leader boards are not read to the bitter end. We will probably keep this for the future, and the Swede, Cecilia Woxblom, may be the last Miss WIMA at an international rally. We will form international teams for the first time at the 1998 rally in Switzerland, with only group performances being counted in the ranking list. This new arrangement makes it easier to deal with so many people present and above all, the international spirit comes to the fore.
