TT Circuit, Assen, The Netherlands 23rd March 2025: The Dutch car season has officially started for 402 Automotive. AutoMadness. After a winter event in January and one in Belgium, it was time to head north to the Cathedral of Speed, TT Circuit Assen. The first outdoor event of the year got a new name, but the concept has remained the same. It is a moment for car owners, car enthusiasts, and car lovers to meet, have a good day, have good food, and buy merchandise. The weather gods blessed us with typical Dutch weather with some rain in the morning, but soon, it dried up, and the sun was shining from time to time, making this a cold, wet, but perfect Sunday.

Text: Benjamin Wefer
Pictures: Benjamin Wefer,

Since Saturday night, Assen has been turning into a car paradise. Early birds arrived early on Sunday to ensure they didn’t miss anything. Around three thousand car owners found their way to the Circuit. Show cars continuously came and went, and the paddock could change shape with a different mix of new vehicles within a half hour. Automadness is not a themed car show, meaning everybody was welcomed, from new to old, from Italian, American to Asian.

Of course, Automadness wouldn’t be complete without some drag races and over a hundred car owners listed themselves. As usual, the Circuit’s start grid in front of the grandstand was used as a 1/8-mile racetrack. Leo “The Burnout Legend” Honders was again at the start, but this time, operating the Christmas tree system instead of “old school” hand signals. It confused several participants who weren’t familiar with running against a Christmas tree. However, the track conditions weren’t so favorable due to the rain, and the amount of spin was noticeable due to the lack of traction at the start.

The spectators enjoyed over three hours of nonstop racing. But the race that everyone was waiting for, between the 2023 Porsche 911 Turbo S and 1994 completely modified Honda Civic “Goldy,” didn’t happen due to the Porsche’s absence after an incident on the track (the driver lost control and hit the wall, but fortunately, the driver was okay).

Another quarter-mile track veteran, Gino de Jong, entertained the spectators by making demo passes in his “Brown Booster” Honda Civic. And not to forget the bikers, Street Twin Battle competitors waited until the track was dry and clean and had just enough time to do some passes. Therefore, no points were collected during this round, but it didn’t take away the fun. The next street twin battle round will be during the American Sunday event in a few weeks.

Besides thrilling quarter-mile races, AutoMadness had more to offer, like a Show & Shine contest, Hot laps time (where the track was open for all drivers who wanted to take a shot at the track), a car parade, and several stands with merchandise and/or gadgets for your car.

The Hour of Power is becoming a tradition during car events organized by 402 Automotive. It’s a moment when several stunts, such as donuts, burnouts, and stunts on cross bikes, are pulled in front of the grandstands to thrill the audience with nothing but power!

With Auto Madness, 402 Automotive kicks off the 2025 outdoor car event season. The Cathedral of Speed was home to over 3000 vehicles again, making this cold Sunday one to remember. 402’s next event will be at our local Formula 1 Track in a few weeks. Make sure you don’t miss it.