More than a hundred Oeteldonkers competed carnival Saturday in decorated cars for the winning of the Hottsknotsrij. The competition was organized for the 69th time. Oeteldonk did not have to worry about Max Verstappens on the road, everything happens at a calm pace. Participants deaste their cars to the theme ‘at full speed’ and had to travel the right route through Oeteldonk based on difficult puzzles.
Barend Hanegraaf had mounted a real propeller plane on the roof of his car. “It’s never finished and it probably falls apart on the way,” he says. “The propeller turned just as fast that I just secured it.” It is his fifth hotsknot ride, but his teammates are participating for the twentieth time. “It’s a nice start to carnival. We expect us to lose, because the puzzles are really very difficult.”
“If it is inadequate, they only get one point.”
That is true, according to a jury member who inspects and assesses the cars. “I have participated for years myself. There are so many instinkers in the route. Then you think you have to go to hots (right), but then it is actually club (left). Then you think you take the right turn, while you actually have to have that of thirty meters away.”
Participants receive points based on the motto, fun decorations and technology. He checks on the latter. “If the decorations are inadequate, they only get one point,” the jury member explains.
“We see many children from original participants.”
The winner of the ride gets the cup, a decorated bucket, to keep for a year. Organizing the ride is a big job, says chairman Rob van Boxtel. “We are working with 39 volunteers this year. They have to assess the cars and ensure that everyone finally ends up on the right route.”
According to Rob, the ride is a family tradition for many participants. “The first Hottsknotsrij was driven in 1954. It was transferred from father to son and from mother to daughter. We see a lot of (grand) children of the original participants.”
“It’s about three to four soft work.”
Henk van Pelt is participating for the 35th time. “We like to decorate the car in the run -up to carnival. It is about three to four weeks of work. And the whole family is participating,” he says. Their car is decorated as a tribute to the ride. “We used moving cars and booklets from previous editions.”
A group of women stands with beer in their hand at their car -decorated car. “We have a Bob,” says one of them. Another says that as a navigator she can work better if she has a beer. “But we take it easy, we stick to one to get rid of.”
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