No fewer than 150 reports were submitted to the police. At the organization of the Hart voor Auto’s event on the TT Circuit in Assen, the mailbox was also filled with more than a hundred people who claimed to be victims of vandals who scratched their cars. But it now appears that the vast majority of reported damage cannot be attributed to vandalism.
This is announced by organizer Ronald van den Broek of Hart voor Auto’s. “Specialist companies have looked at the damage cases and assessed 90 percent as usage damage. And not as vandalism,” he says.
Several cars were scratched during the event. Numerous people subsequently reported damage to their car. The police already saw the number of reports on the day of Hart voor Auto’s rise to 130, with a few more added later. At the end of March about 2500 cars were on display at the TT Circuit, from ordinary passenger cars to very expensive show cars.
“On photos we could already see that most cars were not deliberately damaged,” says Van den Broek. “The damage was in illogical places, such as on top of the hood or windscreen. In retrospect, this turned out to be a very big storm in a teacup, caused by panic in the paddock and press.”
According to Van den Broek, probably about 20 to 25 cars are scratched. No one has been arrested for this yet. Police continue to search for the perpetrator or perpetrators. “The investigation is still ongoing,” said a police spokesman. “And anyone who might have information on this is welcome to share it with us.”
To prevent vandals from striking again at other events on the TT Circuit, extra surveillance has recently been carried out with drones. There are also more people walking around keeping an eye on things.