It is a huge archive, the historical collection of the TT circuit, full of letters, photos and even moving images. As of today, it is officially in the hands of an organization that knows how to handle these things: the Drenthe Archives. “It has been with us for a while, but we are happy that it is now formal,” says Ferry Sieders of the Drenthe Archives.
The collection was immediately given a special stamp, namely that of a state archives. With this special title, the material can be processed and digitized more quickly, says Sieders. “We are going to inventory everything and digitize it as quickly as possible. But that will not happen overnight. It could take years.”
Mark van Aalderen, director of the TT circuit, is happy that the material has been officially transferred. “Managing such an archive is not our job. All together it is more than 50 meters of file.” The archive goes all the way back to a century ago, in 1925 during the first TT. “We still have documents, photos and posters of this. And we still receive material from many people. You should actually see it up close.”
Van Aalderen hopes that the transfer will make the collection accessible to the public. “What I find very important is that a younger generation does not quickly delve into the papers. But because it is now a National Collection, the Drenthe Archives can digitize it.
The TT film, which was made this year in honor of 100 years of TT, uses a lot of material from the historical collection. “That was also a trigger for us,” says Van Aalderen. “We were then able to clearly see what those old images do to people.”