The Brno Grand Prix? Ticket price increase 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 during the Grand Prix will spend money on accommodation, food or entertainment, which should more or less offset the costs associated with organizing the event, including the registration fee," said 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. It is as important for Brno as, for example, the Turin airport or the exhibition grounds. These are projects that are supported with public money," the economist added.
Brno Grand Prix
- costs for the past five years: CZK 686 million
- profits from the past five years: CZK 682 million
- Problem: lack of money for organizing, increasing referral fee for promoter company Dorna
- possible solutions: more money from the state, use of advertising space, increase in ticket prices
- state of play: negotiations on a new contract for the organisation of the races for the next five years
According to the director of the Institute of Public Administration Filip Hrůza, the organizers must now evaluate whether the race is advantageous for Brno. "The Grand Prix sucks money out of public budgets for other things. But to some extent it is a political question, not an economic one," he thinks.
In the future, the cost of a 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 the organisation of the race. If the worst-case scenarios materialize, I am afraid it is not realistic for the city and the region to pay the price," admitted Mayor Markéta Vaňková.
As Daily Rovnost has already reported, representatives of both the South Moravian Region and Brno are also discussing the possibility of using advertising due to difficulties in obtaining money for the Grand Prix. "Dorna's condition is that advertising must be placed in places that aren't covered by cameras. The selection of companies is also limited, because if Dorna has a general sponsor, the second sponsor cannot be a company from the same area," explained Vaňková.
In the following years, organizers can also get more money from tickets. "We have to sit down and say what the cost will be. And we have to adjust the ticket revaluation accordingly," said Brno's opposition representative for the ANO movement and former Mayor Petr Vokřál.
D5 crash: Motorway closed by truck collision
The event was reported around 08:00 on the 22nd kilometer in the direction of Prague. "The highway is closed, at least for freight. Passenger cars can go through a gas station," police spokesperson Michaela Richter said this morning. Traffic was restored around 14:30. According to Richterová, the preliminary damage is at least two million crowns, the cause of the accident is being investigated by the police.
Petr Svoboda, spokesman for the Central Bohemian fire department, said that one truck carried passenger vehicles and the other a plastic granulate. "Due to the large impact, the transported vehicles were shifted and had to be secured by the fire brigade against a possible fall," he added.
One of the cars had a damaged fuel tank that leaked about 200 liters of diesel. Another 200 liters were drained by the fire department. Workers from the environmental department of Beroun City Hall were called to the accident due to a fuel leak. The rescue of the crashed vehicles and the clearing of the highway was secured by a private company, which also extracted the contaminated soil.
