09/02/2006
NEWS STORY
Large crowds are expected when the A1 Grand Prix series hits Indonesia for round eight this weekend, an event rescheduled from January due to the untimely death of the Emir of Dubai.
A1 Team Indonesia GM John Allen says: "Interest is huge in Indonesia. In fact, we have had more than a million hits on our website and enjoy the second highest national A1GP viewing figures."
In many ways, Indonesia is a racing mad nation that has been starved of international motorsport. The obvious comparison is with neighboring Malaysia, where crowds for the A1GP were less than expected, perhaps due to the fact that they host a Formula 1 Grand Prix as well as a round of the Japanese Super GT series and Superbikes, perhaps leaving the sports fan with little money in the bank by the time A1GP came to town in November.
Tinton Soeprapto, father of A1 Team Indonesia driver Ananda Mikola, is extremely confident that the grandstands will be packed with spectators for the A1 Grand Prix of Nations, Indonesia. "Unlike Malaysia," he explained, "we have no major motorsport events, either for cars or bikes, so we will have a large crowd. This will be important not just for the Sentul circuit and the motorsport fans, but also for the country to show that it's safe for a large crowd to attend an event in Indonesia."
"You could also argue that admission prices were too high in Malaysia, thus restricting the size of the crowd," continues Allen. "We are keeping admission as inexpensive as possible for our round at Sentul and so Friday admission will be free, Sunday admission is very reasonably priced and anyone who buys a Sunday admission can come Saturday for no additional charge.
Sentul hosts up to 25 meetings per year but has yet to make its bow at the top end of the international motorsport scene. With the majority of the races held there being for cars that are from budget-driven formulae, the visit of A1 Grand Prix will give Indonesian motorsport fans a huge treat, putting the annual highlight of a Formula 3 double-header into perspective. Crowds are impressive, at an average of 20,000 spectators per meeting, but motorsport is still very much third in the nation's sporting ranking behind badminton and football.
There is a trump card in the race organisers' hand, though, as Allen explains: "We have the support of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his Government and this has helped particularly as this has guaranteed high media coverage in the lead-up to the re-scheduled event, following the death of the Emir in January.