The Mecsek Rallye was once again ranked
The 54th Mecsek Rally was held a month ago, returning after a one-year break due to Covid. János Máté, CEO of PSN Zrt., which owns the license of the competition, and chief organizer Miklós Bernáth (Deputy CEO of PSN) evaluated the event for PécsMa.hu.
- Since you have been managing PSN Zrt., you have organized the Mecsek Rallye for the first time. How did it go?
János Máté: - Overall, I consider it a success, we regained the status of the Mecsek Rallye in the eyes of the industry, the competitors and the spectators. This was the first major event in Pécs in this coronavirus situation. I see that we have done well by investing a lot of energy in it, and the outlook for the future is also encouraging.
Miklós Bernáth: "Many people asked me how I got on with this, an area unknown to me until now." Actually, when we started preparing for the competition, it somehow stuck to me that I was the one coordinating the mainly non-sporting tasks in the organizing committee. Although I was a little afraid at first, the big stone fell from my heart at the start ceremony. Then, after the race, the management of the Hungarian National Motorsport Association, the competitors and the fans also received positive feedback, so it is clear that we have completed a successful race.
– He said that he coordinated everything outside of sports. Who supervised that part?
B. M.: – We managed to win Róbert Lakatos, who also organizes the Veszprém Rallye, to the sports professional side. He and his team were responsible for the profession, and they were of great help to us.
M. J.: - In addition, we consulted with many professionals experienced in rally sports at the beginning. It is also thanks to this that a very well-functioning organizing committee was put together, thanks to which the sports professional side of the Mecsek Rallye came together nicely.
- Last year, the competition was canceled due to the virus. There was a question as to whether it could be held this year?
M. J.: – It was very difficult to get started because of many things. It is enough to mention the pandemic, but for example the death of István Jelen, who previously organized the Mecsek Rallye for many years, was also a huge loss. Even so, we thought it had to be done. When we had our first meetings with the leaders of the MNASZ, it quickly became clear that there were things in connection with the previous Mecsek Rallyes that left many people with a thorn. That is why it was very important to organize the competition transparently.
B. M.: - Let's also not forget that fortunately everyone in Pécs felt the 54th Mecsek Rallye was a little bit their own. For example, the way the city companies worked together to make the event a success was exemplary. We also received local government support. Not only financially, but we could also feel that the city leaders trust our work.
– Hogyan alakult a Mecsek Rallye költségvetése?
B. M.: – Throughout the organization, the goal was to bring the final balance to at least zero. To our great pleasure, this was realized. However, while the expenditure side is very clearly visible here, the income side is less so. Here, for example, it was important that every municipal company really helped, through the Tettye Forrásház, through the Vagyonutilizátó all the way to Biokom. Because if there are 5 entrants, the organizational work is, with a slight exaggeration, the same as if there were 150. Of course, income comes from entry fees, but it is much more difficult to calculate, for example, with sponsorships. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who supported the competition.
"Were there few sponsors?"
M. J.: - Also, this year we didn't have a name sponsor. However, thanks to this year's success, we will be able to start the search next year with a very good basis for negotiations. On the one hand, of course, it is natural that in this time of Covid there are fewer companies willing and able to donate to such an event. On the other hand, we now had to face the fact that the unclear things surrounding the previous Mecsek Rallyes certainly scared many.
– What additional tasks did the virus mean during the execution?
B. M.: – We had to apply the rules of the international association, which were certainly stricter than the domestic regulations at the time of the competition. In our competition center, we had to select, for example, Hungarian and foreign competitors separately, and the domestic and foreign press could not be in the same place either. We also had to designate a "bubble" that could only be entered with a protection card, and in the case of those coming from across the border, with two negative PC tests. It was not easy to put this together, but we took the hurdle.
- Everyone could see that this year the competition was one day shorter than usual. However, the number of participants was still very high. How was the 54th Mecsek Rally different from the previous ones?
B. M.: "In addition to keeping the traditions, we also had a goal of renewing ourselves." The symbol of this was the green idea that appeared prominently this year. This may be a bit strange for many who are fans of gasoline vapor, but this is the future. The first step was to have a fleet of electric cars go through several speed stages before the official races. But we also put a lot of emphasis on not leaving trash behind in Mecsek. After the competition, we collected everything, selectively. After all, we have to take care of our environment. It was a great experience that a total of 119 pairs entered the slightly shortened competition weekend. This also indicates success. We tried to put a lot of emphasis on communication, we started announcing the competition and communicating various information weeks in advance on several channels. It was also a novelty that we tried to turn the competition into a bit of a festival: there was a light music program, a vintage car exhibition and a children's program.
- Is the Mecsek Rally sustainable from an economic point of view?
M. J.: - Together with the local government support, the event can be brought to a break-even point. That is why we need to work to find more sponsors, such as naming sponsors. In this case, not only sustainability, but even economic benefit could be realized. However, there is no question that PSN should be included in a sports event by this time, regardless of revenue. After all, the Mecsek Rallye is the city's biggest sporting event.
– How many fans did it attract this year?
B. M.: - In the case of a rally, it is difficult to calculate, since there is no entrance fee here. We can rely on our experience. We estimate that roughly 10,000 people cheered on the speed racers and were present at the start and finish ceremony on Széchenyi Square.
M. J.: - Fortunately, we have a good relationship with most of the city's caterers, so we already tried to assess how much their traffic increased, how many extra guest nights the Mecsek Rallye meant for Pécs. On those days, most accommodations were 90-95 percent occupied, which is higher than average. This obviously benefits the accommodation providers, but indirectly the city, and ultimately the Mecsek Rally itself, also benefits from it.
- Are there any new plans for next year?
M. J.: - Soon we will be able to close this year's competition in every sense, and in September we will start organizing next year. We have many ideas. For example, we see that communication still needs to be improved. If not in 2022, we already have ideas for the future, even a city prologue. Of course, this raises many questions. At the same time, it is indisputable that it could greatly increase the prestige of the competition and would be very attractive to many sponsors.
B. M.: - I would wait a little longer with next year's organization, I would first relax this year somewhat. But joking aside, now I will be able to start with a little routine. There won't be as much excitement as there was at the beginning. However, it is certain that we were able to organize this year's competition in a manner worthy of its traditions. We will not give it below next year either.
Mads Ostberg – fotó: STom
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