Off-road adventure to be held in December

JAKARTA: This year's annual off-road auto competition will be held in December in Sumatra, starting in Pekanbaru, Riau, and ending in Padang, West Sumatra,

The Diplomat Challenge of Indonesia 2004, the longest off-road auto competition in the country, will feature about 50 off- roaders, according to organizing committee chairman Justinus Sahlim.

"The time is short and the route is difficult, therefore we intend to limit the number of participants. But, of course, we will have an unlimited number of spectators," he said on Sunday, adding that the registration would close on Nov. 10.

The event itself will run from Dec. 11 through Dec. 19.

The first elimination stage will take place in Gresik for participants from East Java and Bali. The next elimination stage will be held in Yogyakarta on Nov. 20 for participants from Yogyakarta and Central Java, and on Nov. 27 in Bandung for participants from West Java and Jakarta. --JP