Assen, The Netherlands, 17th March 2024; As the summer is slowly approaching, the average petrolhead is coming out of hibernation and looking for some car events. And, when the weather forecast changes from heavy rain to dry and sunny, the car community will act on it. 40.000 enthusiasts headed to the TT circuit in Assen for another edition of “Hart voor Auto’s Showtime” car show. With over four thousand show cars exhibited on the circuit paddock, 1/8 mile drag races, drift demos, burnout demos, a race simulator, and the appearances of several influencers within the car world.

Text: Benjamin Wefer
Pictures: Benjamin Wefer

Hart voor Autos (Heart for cars in English) lived their slogan of bringing car enthusiasts together. From early morning, all roads to the Circuit had a long cue and got only longer and longer. But once you reached the paddock, it was a Car Valhalla. There was a car model for every taste: from the daily cars like the VW Golf to the Bugatti Veyron brought by Buena Vida. At the Proud Wheels stage, car owners could enlist themselves for the best of show contests and rev battles.

One change this year to the “Hart voor Autos” event was the Drift Arena. The ‘Ruskenhoek’ was turned into a small drift arena, where several national drifters (drift finesse, Banditos Motorsport with Remmo Niezen behind the wheel, and Brickhouse drifting) showed the public their ability to maintain control of their vehicles. Among the drifters, we spotted Reangelo ‘El Patron’ Bentura representing the bike community.

For the ones looking for more adrenaline rush, the grandstand was the place to be for some heads-up races. DHRA provided the timing system this time, and with 250 entries, the organization decided to keep the races ongoing without elimination. There was a large variety of cars, from muscle cars to supercars. The winner was selected based on the lowest elapsed time. This year’s fastest time was the Porsche 911 S, driven by Maruli van Haastert. After a troubled start and wild ride, he ran a 6.17 on the 1/8 mile in his third run of the day.

Next to the cars, it was also the first round of the street twin battle. This championship consists of 5 rounds, and everybody can compete as long as they are riding a Harley Davidson bike. Fourteen competitors battle this time for first place. Kevin took the win home with a 7.407-second run. Second place went to Joey with a 7.467-second run. Rene Bloem took third place with a 7.610-second run. Gert-Jan Laseur (organizer of the championship and retired top fuel champion) is in fourth place with a 7.613.

After the drag races, it was time for the hour of power. Several petrolheads performed burnouts and donuts, including Leo ‘The Burnout Legend” Honders, who amazed the public with breathtaking burnouts. Even after the tires caught fire, Leo would shift another gear and continue burning!

Hart voor Autos car show had a lot to offer. The brand-new drift area gave the event a great touch. The next Hart voor auto event is at Breda Airport on 22nd June 2024. Make sure you don’t miss it

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