This was carried out to form an F1 Powerboat team from Indonesia to compete at this international event, he said.
"We had a meeting last night, and we will conduct talent scouting together with IMI," the minister conveyed in a press conference at the Media Center for the 2024 F1 Powerboat Lake Toba at Mulia Raja Napitupulu Port in Balige, Toba, North Sumatra, on Sunday.
According to him, talent scouting for F1 powerboat racers would be easier if the candidates were go-kart athletes, motocross athletes, and fighter jet pilots since they would be easier to adapt to powerboats.
The government and H20 Racing, as the promoters of F1 Powerboat, have also agreed to open an academy for the sport of F1 Powerboat and aquabikes or jet skis.
He is optimistic that the cooperation of all parties and ministries will be able to encourage the start of the Indonesian Powerboat F1 team.
In addition, Ariotedjo also asked regional governments to use Lake Toba as a reference for developing sports tourism on an international scale, especially water sports.
He mentioned that the 2024 F1 Powerboat Championship at Lake Toba, which took place on March 2–3, was able to attract the interest of local, domestic, and foreign tourists.
The Director of Marketing and Tourism Programs of PT Aviasi Wisata Indonesia (Persero) or InJourney, Maya Watono, informed us that last year's economic impact from this event reached Rp1.6 trillion (US$101 million) and is predicted to increase at least 10–20 percent this year.
Apart from that, the involvement of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) around the main location of the competition also offers other activities for spectators, Watono said.
After the 2024 Lake Toba series, the competition continues with the next series in Vietnam.
For the Lake Toba series, InJourney is entrusted as the main organizer of this championship, which is equivalent to land jet racing or Formula 1 (F1).
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Translator: Donny Aditra, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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