Main organizer of Rally Estonia: it may sound funny, but the situation is quite perfect

Urmo Aava, director of Rally Estonia (left). Photo: Marko Saarm

Urmo Aava, director of Rally Estonia competitions and one of the three main organizers, assures that their motivation is still strong, although they have been arranging the high-level event for more than a decade.

The idea, which was planted in 2009, began to bloom over the passing of time. Aava, Silver Kütt and Tarmo Hõbe had bold and larger-than-life dreams – some considered them absurd – but their efforts are now bearing fruit. The competition is a part of the world rally series calendar for the second year running.

Exactly two weeks before the start of Rally Estonia (the interview was recorded on July 1) we asked Aava how the preparations are going and what the competition will be like.

How calm or stressed are you at present?

I am calm. Everybody is doing what they have to do and the process is going on. They have the experience from last year. I was certainly more nervous last year because I did not know what will come. No one is all-knowing God but at least I know what will happen in normal conditions.

We had very little time last year. There is much more time this year but there is little difference as to the pace. Everything is going according to plan and coming together nicely.

What are the main things you have to compete in the remaining two weeks?

The entire logistics and setting up the temporary structures begins now. Starting with the typical large podium and ending with various stands and fences. The setting up of all the equipment in South Estonia has started. This is always the most work-intensive period. We shall build everything what gives Rally Estonia its image within two weeks.

You hosted the WRC rally for the first time last year and had to act very quickly. How different are these two years for the organizers?

We have mapped special stages in South Estonia and to the north of Tartu. We selected very fine stages. Last year we could not use several very exciting stages because had no time to build them – the work would have been too extensive. For this year we went to the Mustvee and Peipus municipalities. We also included a new special stage in Otepää, the Neeruti one.

Moreover, there is the extensive power stage project. The infrastructure constructions and preparations are much bigger. We are realizing our several years’ dream of special stages.

It might seem that the four special stages are nothing in particular. But the further you go in the rural and forest areas, the more negotiations are needed and the more agreements must be concluded. We limited ourselves to well-known stages last year because there was so little time. Not we boldly went to new areas to add some spice and sporting spirit to the rally.

How complicated were the negotiations and making the deals?

I must praise all the landowners, local governments and other institutions. The attitude is very liberal, in fact. The people have mostly practical questions since they have no experience with rallies. They ask about how the roads are built and maintained and what limitations will it mean for them. There are a lot of new things to be explained but the people are generally nice and open to it.

Probably everyone knows the main organizers of the rally but how large is your whole team?

While we previously had some 40 people in the core team then now we have already 70 members who have been living and breathing that event for the past four months. Some twenty people live in this rhythm throughout the year. In the rally week more than 2,500 people make their contribution.

The corona virus has relaxed but has not disappeared and that means various restrictions. How much does this event fall short of a perfect Rally Estonia?

It was largely thanks to the virus that we could organize the event last year. As beginning rally organizers we find it rather positive that we could comfortably plan the event and grow at a logical rate.

In 2019 we had almost 50,000 unique viewers. There was no group system then and the organization was significantly more primitive. There were many jams and nervous situations As far as the technical organization of the rally goes, the present situation is almost perfect, as funny as it may sound. We can grow step by step.

But we shall certainly be much more optimistic looking towards next year. We hosted approximately 26,000 unique viewers last year and this year’s figures are roughly the same. It would be logical to aim at some 40,000 viewers next year. The figure certainly cannot be 100,000 from nothing. There will be so many bottlenecks, staring from housing capacity, the roads’ throughput capacity, parking space and everything else.

It is more difficult to control large crowds, the situation will become nervous and unpredictable. We have already seen that id the movement has not been regulated, popular areas become wildly overcrowded while the less-known place remain empty.

How many foreign viewers do you expect this year?

We were quite conservative regarding foreign countries. There will be foreigners but they will be a clearly planned minority. Europe was in lockdown for some time. We did not want to change the concept because then the situation would become nervous once more. The Health Board does not recommend that viewers would come from certain regions.

You have been organizing high-level rally events for more than ten years and now it is the absolute top for second year running. Is it all coming easily or do you still feel some awe before the event?

I think that it is the biggest warning sign if the team feels no awe at all. I believe that we have it all right. We understand that we have to keep working and developing. We certainly do not have the same experience as our Finnish colleagues who have held competitions for 70 years. Traditions have a very great power. We shall need years to fit all the components together and polish them.

Do you still have enough motivation and for how long?

Oh, we do! We still have a lot to do. Tarmo [Hõbe] has said that with the arrival of WRC we gained the practical zero level, the foundation. Since we wanted to get the WRC series so much, we have set a number of long-term goals. These concern security, the onlooker experience, comfort, control of large crowds and logistics. Further, we want to manage, plan and control our team via an IT platform. We still have a lot to do – we are only at the beginning of the road.

How much is presently known about the future of Rally Estonia?

We currently have a contract for a WRC event for this season and the next one. The obvious strategy: to do our work so well that they would place us on the calendar for the following years. According to the general standard the WRC Promoter concludes contracts for two seasons, less frequently for only one. This is practical since the situation can change.