A severed head, a dislocated horse and the bicycle with ET, from the movie of the same name. Furthermore, many rods, tubes and planks. On Monday afternoon, there was not much left of the car with which Vriendenkring De Rijten won the Brabantsedag the day before. Three months of work demolished and removed in one day. Reminiscing and breaking down can go well together, even if it is only so soon after the victory, thinks Wijnand Driessen of the winning car builders.
“Eureka” or “I got it!” was the theme of this year’s 64th edition of the public event. Just like in 2022, De Rijten came out on top. What’s the secret? Wijnand: “We have a very good group of people who are well attuned to each other and who can get a lot done.”
This is not saying too much, because De Rijten won almost all the prizes that could be won with their depiction of the big bang. “For us, the big bang was the ultimate eureka moment and I think we captured that beautifully,” says Wijnand, who trusted from the start that his team would get the trophy and eternal fame.
“I am in the euphoria of victory my voice touched.”
“I counted on a place in the top five. When we were declared the winner, it was of course a huge euphoria. I almost lost my voice then. That you can be rewarded like this, that is just fantastic, very nice.”
Still, there were concerns on Sunday. “We were the first in line and all of us – 110 strong – had been waiting for half an hour for the start when a downpour of fifteen minutes came over us. We couldn’t get off the car to take shelter, annoying to have to start like this. Some members have also become hypothermic, for example, because they had to be a living statue, which doesn’t exactly warm you up. Afterwards they received a blanket from the first aid and with the sun, which gradually broke through the parade, they were fortunately able to warm up.”
Waiting for privacy settings…
Despite all efforts and suffering during the downpour, many volunteers were up early Monday morning to demolish the colossal car. “Most things have now been thrown into a container. A few attributes are left and then you’re done,” says Wijnand, looking around at the construction site that has become a demolition site.
“That construction tent had to be dismantled as soon as possible.”
Why stop reflecting on the achievement and give people the chance to admire their unique creation up close and in peace? “Oh, we’ve been partying a lot in recent weeks and we were able to enjoy the afterglow between breaking down. We received cake early from the board of the Brabantsedag and snacks were brought. In the meantime, we want to dismantle the construction tent in which the car was made as quickly as possible,” says Wijnand.
The fever for the next edition of the Brabantsedag will not rise again until the end of this year. Wijnand: “The new theme will be announced in November. We’re going to take it easy now.”