Local driver Arief wins Goro Champ of Champs title

JAKARTA (JP): Leading local driver Arief Indiarto won the overall Goro Champ of Champs competition held in Subang and Bandung, West Java on Saturday and Sunday.

The event included a sprint rally, and gocart and moped road races.

Some 30,000 spectators watched the two days of racing with the gocart and road races in Bandung, and the sprint rally at the Pasir Bungur sugarcane plantation around Purwadadi and Subang.

The sprint rally consisted of three Special Stages covering a distance of 21 kilometers around the sugarcane plantation.

Arief, once Indonesia's best rally driver, recorded a total of 93 points; 50 from the sprint rally, 25 from the gocarting and 18 from the moped race.

Beng Soeswanto, a veteran racer, came second with 90 points (40-30-20).

Arief did not win any of the three races. He was in fourth in the gocart and road races, and second in the sprint rally.

In the rally, Arief partnered Maman Aruman. Ananda Mikola/Bambang Gunawan won the event.

Arief received an additional 10 points because Ananda did not compete in the gocart or moped races.

"Actually I had no intention of competing in the road race and gocarting. But I was forced to by Anthony Sarwono and surprisingly I won," Arief said.

Beng did not believe he could win the road race considering his age. "At 48 years old, it is difficult to race at that age especially against young racers."

Beng, however, won the 110cc moped road race. John Agus Brata was second and Anthony third.

In the free 150cc motorcycle category of the road race, Irvan Oktavianus took the title followed by Benny Pria and Sigit Sugiarto.

Dennis P. Soemarno won the Intercontinental A gocart race with Arie Imam Mufti second and Fahmy Syarif third. Budiman Sumali won the Intercontinental C class.

Deden G. Saputra took the title in the Gearbox Domestic road race. Pramono Hadi was second and Eris Mahpud third. (lnt)