Brno Grand Prix? Ticket price increases imminent
The most expensive item each year before the Grand Prix is the listing fee. This year it was about one hundred and fifteen million crowns. "The mass of people who come to Brno at the Grand Prix will spend money there on accommodation, food or entertainment, which should more or less offset the costs associated with organizing the event, including the listing fee," evaluated the economist Petr Pelc.
According to him, the importance of the race is also in attracting tourists to the city. "Brno does not have so many world tourist attractions. The Grand Prix attracts visitors from abroad as well. For Brno it is as important as for example the Turany airport or the fairgrounds. And these are projects that are supported with public money," added the economist.
Brno Grand Prix
- Costs for the past five years: 686 million crowns
- Profits from the past five years: 682 million crowns
- Problem: lack of money for organizing, increasing the listing fee for the promoter company Dorna
- Possible solutions: more money from the state, use of advertising space, increase of ticket price
- Current situation: Negotiations on a new contract for organizing the races for the next five years
According to the director of the Institute of Public Administration Filip Hrůza, organizers must now evaluate whether the race is advantageous for Brno. "The Grand Prix sucks money from public budgets for other matters. To some extent, however, it is a political and not an economic issue," he thinks.
In the future, the costs of the motorsport event may be even higher. The option of increasing the listing fee to almost double is in play.
"The situation is not closed, we must try to negotiate the best possible terms with Dorna. It also depends on the extent to which the state is prepared to contribute to organizing the race. If the worst scenarios are fulfilled, I am afraid that it is not realistic for the city and the region to pay the price," admitted Brno Mayor Markéta Vaňková.
As Deník Rovnost has already reported, representatives of both the South Moravian Region and Brno are also discussing the possibility of using advertising because of the difficulties in obtaining money for the Grand Prix. "Dorna's condition is that the advertising must be placed in places that are not covered by the cameras. There is also a limited choice of companies because if Dorna has a general sponsor, then the second sponsor cannot be a company from the same area," explained Vaňková.
The organizers can also get more money from tickets in the coming years. "We have to sit down and say what the costs will actually be. And we have to adjust the revaluation of tickets to that," said Brno opposition representative for the ANO movement and former Mayor Petr Vokřál.
D5 accident: Motorway closed by truck crash
The incident was reported around 08:00 on the 22nd kilometer in the direction of Prague. "The highway is closed, at least for freight traffic. Passenger cars can go through a gas station," police spokesperson Michaela Richterová said in the morning. Traffic was restored around 14:30. Preliminary damage is at least two million crowns, according to Richterová, the cause of the accident is being investigated by police officers.
Central Bohemian Fire Department spokesperson Petr Svoboda said that one truck was transporting passenger vehicles and the other a plastic granulate. "Due to the big impact, the transported vehicles were shifted, which the firefighters had to first secure against a possible fall," he added.
One of the cars had a damaged fuel tank, which leaked about 200 litres of diesel. Another 200 litres were siphoned off by the firefighters. The environmental department of the Beroun town hall was called to the accident due to a fuel leak. The rescue of the crashed vehicles and the clearing of the highway was ensured by a private company, which also extracted the contaminated soil.
