Before the parade, President Joko Widodo hosted the 20 MotoGP racers at an audience in the Merdeka Palace. The president thereafter sent off the racers to start the parade.
As observed by Antara, the bikes ridden by the racers are produced by the respective manufacturing teams, such as Honda, KTM, Ducati, Aprilia, Yamaha, and Suzuki.
The MotoGP racers' convoy is guarded by police and military officers, and dozens of motorcycle riders from various bike communities also joined the parade behind the racers.
While slowly riding their bikes, MotoGP racers greeted and waved out to the fans and media crews watching the parade along the three-kilometre stretch of road.
Earlier, the Greater Jakarta Police had confirmed that the Medan Merdeka Barat Road, MH Thamrin Road, and Hotel Indonesia Roundabout will be closed from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. local time (UTC +7) for the MotoGP racers' parade.
The regional police's Traffic Director Senior Commissioner, Sambodo Purnomo Yogo, stated that only the southward road section from the Palace to the Hotel Indonesia Roundabout will be closed, while the reverse northward section will remain open.
"The opposite direction to the north will remain open for traffic," Yogo remarked.
On the same occasion, Deputy Managing Director of the Mandalika Grand Prix Association (MGPA) Cahyadi Wanda stated that the racers will meet the president first before participating in the parade.
"It is planned that the president will meet the racers first. They will have breakfast together and talk briefly at the palace. At 10 a.m. local time, the president will dispatch the racers for the parade while wishing them good luck for the race," he stated.
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Translator: Walda Marison, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Sri Haryati
Copyright © ANTARA 2022
