This was the first Balkan Rally
Forbes
Over seventy participants took part in the four-day race, which led all the way to the Bay of Kotor. Winners were chosen in four categories by the jury and the participants themselves.
GoBeyond’s Balkan Rally is not the first car-motorcycle tour in the country’s history to head south. Motor and car racing sports appeared in Hungary quite early on, with an English-style reliability car race being held in the summer of 1912. Organized by the Royal Hungarian Automobile Club, nearly twenty brave Hungarian and foreign motorists made it from Budapest to Constantinople in a week. In the following two years, participants of the Tátra-Adria tour and the Carpathian Tour explored the historical Hungary and the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy.
The route of the 2022 inaugural Balkan Rally also began in Budapest, passing through the Villány wine region, Sarajevo, and into Montenegro. Competitors had to tackle the steep switchbacks, climbs, and narrow mountain roads of Durmitor National Park, the long serpentine above the Bay of Kotor, and finally the Herceg Novi section, which concluded with a coastal sprint all the way to Tisno.
The race proved to be unconventional in many ways in the history of Hungarian rally sports. The organizers not only crafted a route rich in natural beauty but also wove in a story and challenges straight out of an adventure film. According to the storyline, participants had to follow the trail of a kidnapped agent whose parchment contained clues to the secret Teuta treasure. Each day, rally participants followed the agent’s route, documenting the various stops with analog photos, as instructed in the daily tasks.
The results of the race were based on deviations from a pre-determined ideal time. Additionally, awards were given to the most stylish competitor, the fairest player, and the one who executed the tasks most professionally. In the car category, the Balkan Rally winner’s trophy was taken home by Mészáros Márk and Doroszlay László, who drove a 1968 Porsche 911 Targa with the number 14. In the motorcycle category, the winner was Zoltán Dávid with the number 8, riding a custom-built BMW R nineT. According to the participants’ votes, the Fair Play Award went to the team of the 1987 Audi Coupe 85, driven by Gábor Pechinger and Ivett Schlégl. The Perfect Gear Award for the most stylish competitor was won by András Csapó, who completed the race in a 1983 Mercedes 380 SL with Gábor Kovács.
“The Balkan Rally is a dream come true, where real history meets fantasy. Anyone participating is both an adventurer and explorer, pursuer and pursued. It’s a liberal race with its own rules, and at the same time, a very serious game,” says Levente Trellay, one of the founders, about the journey.
But of course, the story of the Balkan rally participants doesn’t end here. The GoBeyond team organized the race with the goal of establishing a tradition, which they hope will grow with international participants and even more adventures next year.
“We want to create a program where the key words are internationality and high quality. One of the most important elements is community. We want to build the entire Balkan Rally on the values of sportsmanship, camaraderie, and respect for other cultures, and to hold this car-motorcycle event year after year in this spirit,” adds Levente.