Sponsorship threatens Lucky Strike c'ships
Sponsorship threatens Lucky Strike c'ships
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's preparations for hosting the world
motocross championships for the first time next year have been
marred with sponsorship problems.
PT British-American Tobacco (BAT) Indonesia is considering
withdrawing from sponsoring next year's Lucky Strike
International Motocross Championships.
A source close to the sponsor said yesterday that the company
mentioned withdrawing the sponsorship last year after being
disappointed with the poor performance and attitude of national
crossers during the annual championships it has sponsored since
1991.
The just concluded BAT-sponsored motocross championships in
Cibubur, West Java, saw 13 world leading crossers prevail over
locals, with Frans Tanujaya, who finished 9th, being the only
Indonesian in the top ten.
Other top national riders such as Pieters Tanujaya, Johny
Pranata and Satya Sunarso who were ranked second, third and fifth
by national standards, finished 13th, 17th and 22nd respectively.
"Indonesian riders are money-hungry. Their utmost concern is
money, not performance," Bisnis Indonesia daily quoted Ermiel
Thabrani, PT BAT's promotions manager, as saying.
Thabrani was also quoted by Gema Olahraga as saying that the
home riders' poor performance put his company, the main sponsor,
in an uncomfortable position because this gives the impression
"that we sponsor the championships only to see foreign crossers
beat ours."
However, according to Frans, poor technical skills were to
blame for the poor performance. "We are far behind them in terms
of technique. They have crossed since they were six or eight
years old, while we began the sport as teenagers."
The championships organizer, Dolly Indra Nasution, regretted
PT BAT's plan to withdraw the sponsorship but said that there is
"another party", whose name he declined to mention, which is
interested in taking it over.
Dolly, who is also chairman of the Indonesian Rally
Foundation, added that whether or not PT BAT continues its
sponsorship will not deter Indonesia from hosting a series of
world motocross championships in July next year. (arf)