Report & Gallery: Two and Four-wheel Action at the TABAC Classic Grand Prix 2025

Submitted by Marcel Hundscheid on September 22, 2025

By Marcel Hundscheid / Speed-O-Graphica

The ‘Cathedral of Speed’ at the TT circuit in the north of the Netherlands hosted the TABAC Classic Grand Prix for the fourth time during the first weekend of September, 2025. This historic car and motorcycle event once again featured a varied program, ranging from touring cars and various single-seaters to classic motorcycles. We were on the scene to capture all the action for you.

The programme ran on a sun-drenched track and included races by the Fast Seventies and Historic Monoposto Racing from the Netherlands, the Lurani Trophy with Formula Juniors, the Tourenwagen Legenden, the ADAC Graf Berge von Trips Pokal and Kampf der Zwerge from Germany, and the Belcar Historic Cup from Belgium.

The program was rounded out with demo runs of historic NSU motorcycles and the Motorcycle Legends – MOTUL United Classic Racing. The Dutch Vintage Sports Cars Club provided demonstrations of pre-war cars. The fastest car during the three-day event was Klaas Zwart’s Jaguar R5, which attempted to break the track record.

A particular highlight was the presence of Ayrton Senna’s Lotus 97T. His cousin Bruno had planned to do the demonstration, however the Brazilian had a cast on his arm so his role was taken over by Chris Dinnage, head of Classic Team Lotus.

Three races were scheduled for the Fast Seventies. The first race, on Friday, was won by Wim Kuijl’s spectacular Ford Capri RS 3100, while on Saturday, Daniel Schrey reigned supreme in his Kremer-Porsche 935 K1. Schrey was so dominant on Sunday that he had nothing to fear from anyone, scoring his second victory of the weekend.

Historic Monoposto Racing from the Netherlands always guarantees a large starting field, particularly of historic Formula Fords, and this weekend in Assen was no exception. Philipp Menzner from Germany proved to be too strong for the rest of the competition. Driving a Reynard SF86, he convincingly won both races.

The lightest single-seaters of the weekend were back in the always spectacular Lurani Trophy, which guarantees close racing, this outing being no exception. The battle for victory lasted 13 laps between Manfredo Rossi di Montelera, Callum Grant, and Danny Baker, with positions swapped regularly. The Italian had the best credentials, finishing first by a whisker in the first race on Saturday, while Grant won the second race on Sunday.

The German side was hosting the ADAC Graf Berge von Trips Pokal, an interesting championship primarily for Formula 3, Formula Ford, and Sports 2000 cars. In both races, Germany’s Daniel Hornung and Dutchman Patrick Andriessen were the driving force. While Andriessen initially made a strong showing, Hornung proved dominant in both races.

Also present from Germany was the “Kampf der Zwerge” (Camp of the Dwarves), undoubtedly the smallest cars at the event, including the Mini Cooper, Fiat Abarth TC, NSU TT, and others. Gregor Nick and Christoph Wilde from Germany fiercely battled for the win. However, Gregor Nick, with his Rover Mini Cooper, emerged victorious twice and took the victory.

The Belcar Historic Cup from Belgium is popular with drivers and spectators alike. A large and diverse field of competitors, including GTs and touring cars, always guarantees spectacular races. Forty participants traveled to Assen for two races. Erik Qvick proved too strong, driving his BMW E36 STW to a dominant victory in both races.

The 4th edition of the TABAC Classic GP was once again one to remember. We are already eagerly anticipating the fifth edition of this must-see event.