Rally cars flying across the special stages, thousands of spectators watching the spectacle, and the hustle and bustle of the service area in the city centre is followed by moments of joy during the award ceremony, often accompanied by major concerts. Few people realise that this is just the tip of the iceberg of rally competitions, visible to all, but behind it lie months of both visible and invisible hard work by the organisers. Racer and rally organiser Ernesta Globytė, together with the “GSR Motorsport” team, has been striving for the second year to make the “Jusema Rally Ukmergė” competition memorable for everyone.
Racing and being part of the event is one thing, but creating such a competition yourself, one in which you would want to participate, is quite a challenge. Of course, you can imagine how and why everything happens, what needs to be done, but reality is often different.
“I imagined how much work it would take to organise a rally, but the reality still surprised me with its scale. Behind a two-day event are months of preparation, dozens of meetings and hundreds of decisions. When the rally was over, I realised that it was a huge team effort, where every detail matters.”
The good thing is that all the work and contribution can be appreciated by the crews who participated in the rally, their teams, officials, spectators, residents and businesses. This becomes a solid basis for improving the event, which affects a truly large number of people – after all, the rally route does not run on a closed track, but on public roads, near residents and businesses, and even in the city of Ukmergė itself, so it is very important that despite the temporary inconvenience, the event leaves a good impression on the environment in which it takes place.
“After the 2025 rally, we received a lot of warm feedback from crews, spectators, partners and the local community. We are glad that the event creates value not only for motorsport, but also for the entire Ukmergė region. Of course, we also received constructive comments, which we view as an opportunity to grow and make the event even better every year.”
And yet, why, after many sleepless nights and some buzzing heads, does the whole team gather again next year for a common goal? Why is it worth investing so much time and so many resources for just a few days?
“The biggest motivation for me is the people – crews, spectators, partners and the whole team who believe in this event. Seeing full spectator areas, hearing good feedback and feeling the support of the community is the greatest appreciation. You want “Jusema Rally Ukmergė” to grow, strengthen motorsport culture in Lithuania and make the name of Ukmergė well known.”
The third stage of the Lithuanian car rally championship, “Jusema Rally Ukmergė 2026”, will be held on 9–11 July in the Ukmergė and Molėtai districts. Rally crews will face more than 130 sporting kilometres over two days, and spectators will be treated not only to a breathtaking contest, but also to two impressive concerts.
This year, tickets can be purchased:
at the Ukmergė Tourism and Information Centre,
online at www.TicketMarket.lt,
and, as usual, on the days of the event at the speed stages.
Ticket price: 15 EUR.
