100 cars to join Jaya Bali rally

JAKARTA (JP): As many as 100 cars are expected to take part in the third Kemala Bhayangkari Jaya Bali touring rally from Jakarta to Bali in August, committee chairperson Dewi Purnomo Aryani, said yesterday.

"We limited the number of participants as to ease the event in which the drivers will cover a stretch of some 2,500 kilometers in reaching the finish line in Denpasar," said Dewi, the wife of National Police Chief Dibyo Widodo.

If there are more participants, she added, "we are afraid it will congest the streets along the route to Bali".

The route of the touring rally will be split into three major stages, and is due to start on Aug. 20. The first stage is from Jakarta to Semarang via Cirebon, Tegal and Magelang. From Semarang, the drivers will continue their journey to Surabaya through Kudus and Madiun.

From Surabaya, the participants will pass the tourist resort in Bromo then proceed to Banyuwangi before crossing the Bali Strait on a ferry to the finishing line in Denpasar on Aug. 24.

The committee, as in every rally organized by Kemala Bhayangkari and held every two years, plans to donate the funds from the tournament to social organizations managed by the Bhayangkari foundation.

There will be four competitions in this year's national touring rally and the Kemala Bhayangkari rally will be third in the series. The first was the Bali touring rally last week.

The second will be the Riau touring rally from July 26 to July 27. West Java will host the fourth and the final leg in the series scheduled for Oct. 18 to Oct. 19.

The champion of the Jaya Bali touring rally will receive a brand new sedan, while the second and third positions will vie for a motorcycle.

Drivers, either rookies or veterans interested in joining the rally, may register their names at the Rally Tama Group on Jl. Barito I number 7 in Kebayoran Baru. (rsl)