In addition to enlivening (the implementation of) the automotive sports in the country and bolstering the country branding for Indonesia, they (the events) also improve the welfare of the community through the multiplier effects in economy.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Motor Association (IMI) stated that the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit will obtain the Grade 2 license from the Federation Internationale de I’Automobile (FIA) at the end of January 2023.

"Or at the latest by February 2023, the Mandalika International Circuit will receive a Grade 2 license from the FIA," Chairperson of IMI Bambang Soesatyo noted in a statement received on Wednesday.

Soesatyo also remarked that FIA official, Timothy Schenken, accompanied by Deputy Chairperson of IMI for Car Racing Ananda Mikola, had inspected the circuit in December 2022.

"After getting the Grade 2 (license), the Mandalika International Circuit can host various international car racing championships, such as F2, Asia Le Mans Series, GT World Challenge, World Endurance Challenge, and so on," he remarked.

After successfully implementing the World Superbike (WSBK) and MotoGP in 2022, the IMI, Indonesia Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), as well as Mandalika Grand Prix Association (MGPA) are committed to presenting more international racing events at the circuit, he stated.

“During the preparation stage until the post-implementation phase of the MotoGP 2022 (on March 18-20), according to BPS (Statistics Indonesia), the circulation of money in NTB (West Nusa Tenggara) Province was able to reach Rp606.7 billion,” the chairperson of IMI noted.

Furthermore, he said that based on the Kompas Research and Development Institution, the circulation of money during the three days of implementation of the 2022 WSBK on November 11-13 reached Rp24.38 billion.

Meanwhile, the total economic value of the good and service demand in all business sectors in NTB Province during the preparation until the post-event of 2022 WSBK reached Rp177.59 billion, he stated.

In addition, the two events were able to absorb 1,557 workers to serve as marshals and for crowd management, waste management, security, cleaning services, hospitality, and as ticketing officers.

The championships also empowered 445 micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) from various regions in the province.

"In addition to enlivening (the implementation of) the automotive sports in the country and bolstering the country branding for Indonesia, they (the events) also improve the welfare of the community through the multiplier effects in economy," Soesatyo stated.

Apart from the economic multiplier effects, implementation of the 2022 Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup (IATC), which was held concurrently with the 2022 WSBK, also made the Indonesian people proud, as a young Indonesian racer, Veda Ega Pratama, managed to win Race 1 and Race 2 of the IATC.

Currently, the IMI, ITDC, and MGPA are striving to ready the circuit, which is located in Central Lombok District, NTB Province, to hold the 2023 WSBK on March 3-5 and 2023 MotoGP on October 13-15.
Related news: Mandalika circuit gets FIA certification
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Translator: Muhammad Ramdan, Uyu Liman
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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