Bandung's rider Dadang wins Gudang Garam Championships
Bandung's rider Dadang wins Gudang Garam Championships
TEGAL, Central Java (JP): Aep Dadang Supriatna from Bandung,
West Java, reaffirmed his status as one of the country's top
125cc riders when he took out the opening round of the Gudang
Garam Motocross National Championships yesterday.
Unchallenged from a field of 24 riders, including 14-year-old
Adam Cini of Australia, Aep dominated in both moto one and moto
two.
Aep -- who only gained his seniority status in late 1996 --
surged ahead of the field on his Honda, taking the lead from the
more seasoned Johnny Pranatha from Surabaya, East Java, in the
eighth lap of moto one.
He earned 20 points for finishing first in moto one and
another 20 points after finishing ahead of the field in moto two.
Cini was among the top finisher in both races but being
foreign rider racing in a national event he did not receive any
points.
"Cini is a really good rider because he has had more chances
to race at home in Australia. Even though he is younger than me
he has had more hours on the track," Aep said during a post-race
media briefing.
Aep, 20, who has been on the track since he was 16, said he
would concentrate on motocross racing after finishing high school
last year.
"I think I can make a living from the races. What I need now
are more competitions either at home or abroad."
The economic crisis which has plagued Indonesia did not seem
to deter local fans who flocked to the track, which is located
some 10 kilometers east of the town. About 15,000 people attended
the final day of the two-day event.
"I think this is a good indication for the next Gudang Garam
motocross races which we plan to stage. I hope more spectators
will come to the future events," Helmy Sungkar from Trendy Promo
Mandiri, which organized the event, said.
Asep Sunandar, a spectator living 20 kilometers away from host
town Tegal, said watching the event gave him a break from his
daily routine in the village.
Finishing second in the opening round, on a Yamaha YZ, was
last year's overall champion Irwan Ardiansyah from Yogyakarta. He
collected 34 points, 17 from moto one and another 17 from moto
two as he followed Aep to the finish line.
Third place was jointly shared by Johnny and Andi Suryanto
from Yogyakarta, who each earned 28 points. Johnny picked up 13
points in moto one and 15 after taking third place in moto two.
Andi collected 15 points and 13 points respectively.
Between the races, fans were entertained by a local band
performing dangdut music on a large stage near the circuit,
Future Gudang Garam races will be held in Bukittinggi, West
Sumatra (April 11 to April 12), Surakarta, Central Java (May 2 to
May 3), Samarinda, East Kalimantan (Sept. 5 to Sept. 6) and Palu,
Southeast Sulawesi (Oct. 3 to Oct. 4) before the race ends in
Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi (Oct. 10 to Oct. 11). (rsl)
Results
1. Aep Dadang Suprianta (Bandung) Honda PR 40 pts
2. Irwan Ardianysah (Yogyakarta) Yamaha YS 34
3. Johnny Pranatha (Surabaya) Suzuki RM 28
4. Andi Suryanto (Yogyakarta) Yamaha YS 28
5. Surya Sunarso (Yogyakarta) Yamaha YS 21