Aussie crossers aim to win all

JAKARTA (JP): The six Australian motocrossers planning to compete in the Gudang Garam races in Tegal, Central Java, next month intend to sweep all the categories they enter.

Their ambitions were confirmed when organizer Helmy Sungkar spoke with Bruce Wilkinson of the Australian team in Melbourne over the weekend.

The Australian crossers' determination to win, Helmy said, should stimulate local riders to perform at their best during the Tegal meet scheduled for Feb. 7 to Feb. 8.

The local crossers expected to compete include Irwan Ardiansyah, Satya Sunarso, Andy Suryanto (Yamaha team), Aep Dadang, Pieter Tanujaya, Hendrik (Honda team), Johny Pranata, Denny Orlando, Frans Tanujaya and Hendriansyah (Suzuki team).

The Tegal race will take place at Munjung Agung Kramat. The circuit is still under construction but is expected to be finished by the end of this month.

It is expected that 180 crossers will take part in the two-day meet which sees races for various motorcycle categories.

The organizers will provide prize money of Rp 13.5 million (US$1,500) and 32 trophies.

Registration is still open. The entry fee is Rp 25,000 per motorcycle. Intending competitors can register at Pengda IMI Jawa Tengah, Jl. Erlangga Tengah No. 5, Semarang, MMC Club, Jl. Raya Pengasinan Km 3, Purwokerto and Trendypromo Mandira, Jl. Kesehatan 2 No. 6, Bintaro, Jakarta Selatan.

This year's race is the second to be held in Tegal after one last year. About 28,000 spectators watched last year's event in which 35 of the country's best local crossers competed.

The Tegal race is the first of the six legs in a series sponsored by the Gudang Garam tobacco company. From Tegal, the series moves on to West Sumatra (most probably in Padang) from April 11 to April 12, then to Solo (Central Java) May 2-May 3 and then Samarinda (East Kalimantan) Sept. 5-Sept. 6.

The last two legs are in Palu (Central Sulawesi) from Oct. 3- Oct. 4 and ends in Ujungpandang (South Sulawesi) on Oct. 10-Oct. 11.

Tickets to see the Tegal race are Rp 3,500 on Saturday and Rp 6,000 on Sunday. There are also tribune tickets costing Rp 15,000 each.

The organizer will hand out free packs of Gudang Garam cigarettes to the spectators. Entertainment will also be provided. (lnt)