On July 28th and 29th, 2001, the FCN (Ferrari Club Nederland), organized a rally, which started at the former castle-convent "Elzendaal". This convent was built in 1667 in a little town called Boxmeer, very near to the German border. The rally brought the participants and enthusiasts to Villa Trips "Museum for Racing History" (in German, "Museum für Rennsportgeschichte"). The location of the Villa Trips is very remarkable. It is set in a National, protected park in Kerpen/Horrem, next to Burg Hemmersbach.

Entering the area of the estate, the silence is serene. Ancient oak and beech trees rustle gently, although it was a calm day. A brick paved road lined with tall trees and old street lamps leads to the Villa Trips, and a Ferrari-flag attracted my attention. I became very curious about this famous home of Wolfgang von Trips.

Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips

Before learning something about Villa Trips, the museum and what it stands for, it's necessary to know something about the famous race driver who was born and raised here. Wolfgang Alexander ("Wölfchen") Graf Berghe von Trips was the son of Eduard Reichsgraf Berghe von Trips and his wife Thessa and was born in Köln on May 4th, 1928. The family lived in Bonn until 1932, when his father inherited the Hemmersbach castle. Castle living was the main motivation for moving to Hemmersbach. Here Wolfgang had a wonderful youth. In the years 1935 to 1938 he enjoyed the GP of Germany at the Nürburgring, so close it was nearly in the back garden of the Castle Hemmersbach. He never forgot those experiences.

His driving license was obtained in 1946 just after the war. von Trips was sent to college to obtain a degree in agriculture, as his parents wished that he would work on the large estate. But after he started his motor sport career with a BMW 500 motorcycle in 1950, keeping him on the farm was increasingly difficult. Switching to four wheels, he bought a Porsche and by 1954 was experienced enough to win the 1300 cc class in the Mille Miglia. He also drove in two races for the Mercedes Benz team in 1955. In 1956, now a member of the Porsche team, he placed a remarkable 5th overall at Le Mans with fellow Count von Frankenburg. This in turn led to an offer from Ferrari in late 1956. von Trips managed to drive for both Porsche and Ferrari at the same time. He finished second in the last, tragic 1957 Mille Miglia for Ferrari, retired at LeMans in 1958 driving a Ferrari 250TR, won the Hillclimb championship in a Porsche, and drove the 1959 LeMans race in a Porsche. By 1960, von Trips had settled down with Ferrari, and won the F-2 event at Solitude. At last this brought him to Formula 1 racing and the membership of the Ferrari team, and in 1961, he drove the F1 156 Sharknose with great success.