The name “GSR Motorsport” has long been known in the Lithuanian motorsport community. This team races and maintains cars not only in rallying, but also in circuit racing. As if the challenges in racing were not enough, the crew decided to try their hand at organising events. One of the organisers of the Jusema Rally Ukmergė, Ernesta Globytė, told us what the road to organisation looks like from the racers’ point of view.
As we have been taking part in various competitions for over 15 years, the idea of organising a rally came to us quite naturally, probably out of a desire to give something back to the community to which we ourselves have belonged for many years.
We saw for ourselves, from the perspective of a participant, how much the organiser, their hard work, dedication and professionalism matter. Of course, the thought came up that perhaps some things could be done differently or even better.
The idea of organising a rally competition did not remain in the minds of the team for long and, after a few discussions, it turned into real action. Dovydas Ketvirtis, a fellow racer from Ukmergė, who was fascinated by the idea of bringing his beloved sport to his city, was the main contributor.
At first, it was just an idea that was thoughtlessly voiced out loud, but over time this idea became more and more concrete with every conversation and every encouragement from Dovydas Ketvirtis, until we finally said to ourselves with the entire team: “And when, if not now?”
At the same time, we got the main sponsor of the rally – the Ukmergė-based company “Jusema”, run by Dovydas, and when a few more people who know the intricacies of rally organisation decided to join us, all that was left was to get on with it.
Swapping racers’ overalls for organisers’ suits is not as easy as it might seem. It’s one thing to look for fractions of a second on the track to beat your rivals, but it’s quite another to create a space where this battle for seconds can take place without any interference. Sometimes the administrative checks during races seem like a lot of “paperwork” to the racers. However, this is just a drop in the ocean compared to the documentation marathons that the organisers have to go through to organise a competition. Not all the wishes you have as a racer can be fulfilled so easily when you become an organiser.
There is certainly no shortage of challenges when you side with the organisers, because at the same time you are trying to evaluate everything through the prism of the participant. How could it be better and more convenient for them? At the same time, you must not forget the organisational side, which brings with it many headaches and question marks – how should it be done and implemented? Every step taken in this phase is therefore a new lesson.
All the paperwork and documentation, coordinating the various permits and starting the organisation takes a lot of time. Not to mention the search for stages, coordination with the municipalities, security solutions, the finding partners, the creation of a temporary infrastructure in the service park, a concert and a party for the citizens and guests. I am very happy that we have each other and are managing all these tasks together. Each of these aspects requires an enormous amount of patience, hard work and responsibility.
It is so common that guests at an event often only see the façade without being able to imagine how much work and creative decisions go on behind the scenes, and all of this is carried out by a huge team that works harmoniously like clockwork, the size of which often exceeds a hundred people at rally competitions.
Both things – racing and organisation – require a lot of this silent work, only it is slightly different. Both processes require dedication and even a certain degree of sacrifice.
However, it should be mentioned that there are a little more organisational decisions in the organisation that are usually not even noticed by the participants, but if they weren’t there – they would be noticed immediately.
In any case, there is a common law on both sides – months of silence and work that turn into a day of action.
The “Jusema Rally Ukmergė 2025” will take place on 11 and 12 July near Ukmergė and Anykščiai districts. This will be the third event of the Lithuanian Automobile Rally Championship.
