Pheasant farm De Driesprong

Tuesday 16 May 2017
Since 1 May 2017, De Driesprong in Leunen has been IM recovery operator on the A73 motorway and the provincial roads around Venray. This represents the return of one of the best performing IM recovery companies from the 2013 - 2016 contract period to the national network of Stichting IMN. The change is the consequence of the decision by Wolves Berging to withdraw from a number of districts in northern Limburg.

Ron Sanders (L) en Stefan Loenen van De Driesprong in Leunen

Ron Sanders (L) and Stefan Loenen of De Driesprong in Leunen

Sjang Loenen founded a pheasant farm shortly after the war, at the junction of two sand tracks in the countryside below Venray. He named his farm 'De Driesprong' after its location at the crossroads . His son Jos swapped pheasants for cars in the nineteen seventies, but retained the family name. Since 2016, De Driesprong has been managed by grandson Stefan Loenen, and is now focusing entirely on recovery, breakdown assistance and the repatriation of vehicles from abroad.

Stichting IMN also saw two IM recovery operators leave the network in the second quarter. The recovery activities of Van Hoek BV in Rilland were transferred to Van Egeraat Berging and Transport in Roosendaal on 1 May 2017. Van Hoek had been responsible for recovery work in district Z287 between Hoogerheide and Kapelle in Zeeland, since the nineteen eighties. Director Kees van Hoek has now retired. His brother Peter is continuing to run the family-owned garage.

Kees van Hoek tijdens het evenement IM 2014

Kees van Hoek during the IM 2014 event

The second recovery operator to leave the network is Autoberging Kerstens, based in Noordhoek near Zevenbergen. This company served IM district NB302 in and around the Moerdijk industrial estate. On 1 July 2017, Kerstens will be absorbed by the Van Eijck Group, a company with recovery activities in Flanders, Noord-Brabant and Gelderland. Director Arthur Kerstens will remain on at Van Eijck as recovery expert.

An overview of all changes in the IM network since 1 April 2017 appears in the table below.

Recovery company changes since 1 May 2017

District From To Date Background
L352WolvesBroekmans1 May 2017Voluntary Transfer
L353WolvesDriesprong1 May 2017Voluntary Transfer
L358WolvesBroekmans1 May 2017Voluntary Transfer
Z287HoekVan Egeraat1 May 2017Takeover
GL256HoutermanASG1 July 2017Performance
NB302KerstensVan Eijck1 July 2017Takeover
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