Hans Herkuleijns, also known as Harry was rarely seen without his trademark French beret and cigarette. He was born in Arnhem on and started out as a racing cyclist in 1905.
In 1914 he took up motorcylcle racing and became one of the most famous Dutch riders between 1914 and 1931 riding 1000cc American Motorcycles on the board tracks as well as concrete.
Sometimes called the Dutch Devil or the Flying Dutchman, he switched to sports car racing after a seriouse accident in the August of 1931. Racing at the Amsterdam Stadium the frame of his bike collapsed sending the bike over the fence into the crowd.
After testing several racing cars he met Joop Molenaar, Director of the Dutch MG importer, from whom he bought a Q-Type which he raced in Belgium and France. In 1934 he won the 750 class of a race at Montlhéry.
Herkuleyns later aquired the ex-Eddy Hertzberger MG K3 Magnette racing it in 1939 and 1946, as well as running his familiar Midget, taking several class wins at Montlhéry and a number of placings at Chimay, notably third in the 1939 Frontières GP. Herkuleyns made a brief return to racing after the war, taking the 1100cc MG to seventh place in the 1946 Brussels sportscar race. The K3 was hidden in Amsterdam during the war and Herkuleyns continued to own it until his death in February 1948.
Very much an independant racer, Herkuleijns ran on a shoestring with little financial support.
