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Driving through the busy hall is a must
The team that regularly prepares and plans the route for the Mladá Boleslav race is in the lead. We talked to Marek Jancák, Head of PF – Car Production, about when this idea came about and who is responsible for organising it.
Marek Jancák is one of those who have completed all 12 years of the tour to date and has experience with the race from multiple perspectives. In addition, he and his navigator finished this year’s race in fifth place in a DeLorean DMC-12.
How is the route planned?
I propose only and exclusively a route through the Mladá Boleslav plant. A professional team led by Vítězslav Kodym (Head of GKP – Product Communication) then incorporates all of this into the roadbook and the organisation of the entire rally. They are masters in their field.
I appreciate that I was able to be there when the idea to start such an extraordinary tradition was born.
When did the idea of driving through the plant actually come about?
In 2017, it was proposed by one of the tour’s co-founders and former Board Member for Production and Logistics, Michael Oeljeklaus. I added the idea of driving through the production hall along the state-of-the-art PXL pressing line, all while production was in full swing.
What needs to be done to include these routes in the race?
Over the past nine years that the race has led through the plant, we’ve established several firm principles. These include, for example, a photo point in front of Hall M13 and the obligation to offer participants a drive through one of the halls where something is happening.
Does the preparation require any special steps?
Alena Víznerová (PF – Car Production) is responsible for preparing the route with the support of the relevant production teams. She would probably tell you that the hardest part is defending the prepared route on Saturday morning against the weekend rush of construction and technology companies, which use this time of production downtime to carry out orders.
And your impressions of this year’s tour?
This year was the first time it rained during the rally. Veteran car drivers, especially those who only drive in good weather like me, are afraid of this. However, the high turnout confirmed that this was not an obstacle. Fortunately, the route was on completely clean roads, so I believe the cars survived without damage. I’m already looking forward to next year.
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