Dakar rally to start from Budapest in 2010 - paper
Budapest, January 3 (MTI) - Budapest is set to become the starting point for the Dakar Rally in 2010, national daily Nepszabadsag said on Thursday.
The rally is among the highest profile events worldwide.
Negotiations with the rally's licence holder started a year ago and a preliminary agreement was signed in Paris a month ago, said Istvan Ujhelyi, deputy regional development minister.
"Once some technical details have been clarified, the contract can be finalised," the state secretary said.
Hungary's government is to underwrite the licence fee of around half a billion forints (EUR 2.2 m).
Heroes' Square will host the opening ceremony called "Grand Depart" in Dakar terminology.
According to a feasibility study Hungary will benefit from the race for several reasons. First of all, it is expected to attract media interest to Budapest and the region north of Lake Balaton. The name of Budapest will feature in the logo of the race.
Although the event is only expected to break even, the marketing benefits for Hungary will be considerable and the race could end up being profitable in other ways.
source: mti
photo: http://www.performanceundergear.com/PUG/PUG_Pilots.htm
Labels: 2010, Budapest, Dakar Rally, Heroes' Square, Hungary
