After a six-year absence, the Actronis Berkelland Rally returned in emphatic style on 13 December 2025, making history as the first ever rally in the Netherlands to be held in December. Set in and around the city of Eibergen, the event served as a non-points finale to the Dutch rally season, but any suggestion of a relaxed end-of-year run was quickly dismissed once the engines fired.
With a fully booked grid of 101 starters, packed spectator zones and a challenging mix of tarmac and gravel, the rally delivered exactly what fans had hoped for. Six stages, one day, no margin for error. By nightfall, 29 crews had failed to finish, underlining just how demanding the winter conditions proved to be.
At the head of it all stood local hero Bernhard ten Brinke, partnered by Tom Woodburn, who produced a flawless performance in their Å koda Fabia RS Rally2. Carrying start number #1, ten Brinke stamped his authority on the event from the very first kilometres, building a 31-second lead before the opening service and never looking back. Winning all six stages, the pair claimed overall victory with a time of 33:09.7, sending the home crowd into celebration.
Behind them, consistency and precision paid off for the married duo Jasper and Martine van den Heuvel, who guided their Citroën C3 Rally2 to second place. Finishing 58.07 seconds adrift of ten Brinke, the couple delivered a composed and professional drive to secure P2 and cap off their season on a high.
Completing the podium was newly crowned NRK champion Dennis Rostek, joined by co-driver Tobias Braun. The German pairing brought their Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 home in third with a time of 34:16.1, reinforcing Rostek’s status as one of the most consistent performers of the year.
One of the standout stories further down the order came from Willem Wouter Overbeek and Renaldo Lier, who claimed RC3 class honours in their Renault Clio Rally3. Finishing an impressive ninth overall, they even outpaced several RC2 entries, a result that drew plenty of attention in the service park.
Class victories continued with Elbert Deij and Martin Nortier, who took the NC2 win in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X, finishing 11th overall, while rally fans were treated to a slice of nostalgia as Antonie Biesheuvel and Willem Vissenberg powered the iconic BMW M3 E30 to victory in the HC1 class, ending the day in 12th position.
The Actronis Driver of the Day award went to Yannic Vrielink and Harm van Koppen, whose attacking drive in the Ford Fiesta Rally2 earned them an impressive fourth overall and plenty of praise from spectators lining the gravel sections.
Another milestone moment came for Jeroen Klein Kromhof, who contested his first ever rally in a Rally2 car. Alongside co-driver Marlon Krieger, he brought the Å koda Fabia Rally2 EVO home in sixth, a confident debut that hints at strong potential for the future.
As the sun set on Eibergen and the final times were confirmed, the message was clear. The Actronis Berkelland Rally is back, and it belongs on the Dutch rally calendar. With strong support from main sponsor Actronis, huge crowds braving December conditions and top-level competition across the field, the 2025 edition proved that winter rallying in the Netherlands is not just possible, but spectacular.
📷 by Niklas Husmann
