Indonesian GP roars its way into history
Indonesian GP roars its way into history
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Grand Prix, the first ever world motorcycling grand prix championship here, saw some memorable records, which the organizers say symbolize a big success.
It was the first international non-athletic event to receive full commitment from the government. A number of cabinet ministers lined up the board of committee, led by Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto.
"It's time for us to show the world that we can play host to such a big event successfully," Haryanto said in a press conference leading up to the Indonesian GP.
The motorcycling races were held yesterday at the 3.9- kilometer Sentul circuit, owned by automotive tycoon and President Soeharto's youngest son, Hutomo Mandala Putra, also known as "Tommy".
Indonesia looks poised to move further by bidding for a Formula One grand prix championship next year.
Chairman of the Indonesian Motor Association, Bob R.E. Nasution, said, however, that due to the whopping budget needed for an F-1 race, Indonesia opted to delay the ambitious program. The car-race may cost Indonesia some Rp 20 billion (US$9 million), three times more than the budget for yesterday's motorcycling races.
"We spent a lot of money this year. Aside from the motorcycling grand prix, we will have the world rally, world superbike and world motocross championships. That's more than enough," he said.
20,000 people turned up to watch yesterday's races -- and caused serious traffic jams on their way to the circuit - suggesting that Indonesia is now among the first choice of venues for the world motorcycling grand prix next season.
"But the presence of President Soeharto for more than four hours here was the biggest surprise," the spokesman for the organizers, Helmy Sungkar, said yesterday.
"We received his confirmation only at 7.30 last night, and we never expected him to stay that long," Helmy added. Soeharto chairs the board of patrons of the committee.
Soeharto set off the 125cc race, joining thousands of people watching a rare show, and later presented trophies to the top three finishers of the 500cc race.
Traditional dancing performances and a choir accompanied the races, another rarity for the world-class riders, who still have 13 round-the-world trips this season.
Two rain masters from Surakarta, Central Java, FL Siswanto and his son Suroso Murni Prasojo, helped to hold the clouds off Sentul, a rain-prone area.
"We worked for a month, both of us awake 24 hours a day in turns," said Suroso, an agricultural engineer. (amd)
Results
125cc: 1. Masaki Tokudome (Jpn) Aprilia 41:38.797 2. Haruchika Aoki (Jpn) Honda 41:38.896 3. Peter Oettl (Ger) Aprilia 41:46.156 4. Dirk Raudies (Ger) Honda 41:58.288 5. Jorge Martinez (Spa) Aprilia 42:01.118
250cc: 1. Tetsuya Harada (Jpn) Yamaha 42:13.486 2. Max Biaggi (Ita) Aprilia 42:15.295 3. Ralf Waldmann (Ger) Honda 42:26.144 4. Luis D'Antin (Spa) Honda 42:36.214 5. Nobuatsu Aoki (Jpn) Honda 42:36.258
500 cc: 1. Michael Doohan (Aus) Honda 43:50.798 2. Alexandre Barros (Bra) Honda 43:54.025 3. Loris Capirossi (Ita) Yamaha 43:57.590 4. Alex Criville (Spa) Honda 43:58.226 5. Carlos Checa (Spa) Honda 44:01.436