President Joko Widodo visited Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara on Thursday (13/1). One of Jokowi’s agendas there is to directly review the preparations for the 2022 Mandalika MotoGP. Jokowi and First Lady Iriana departed from Jakarta at around 07.00 WIB. They used the Indonesia-1 Presidential Aircraft from the Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base.
“Arrived at Lombok International Airport Zainuddin Abdul Madjid, Central Lombok Regency, President Jokowi is scheduled to review a number of airport facilities that will be used by MotoGP 2022 participants and spectators,” quoted from a written statement by the Presidential Secretariat. After that, Jokowi will visit the Mandalika Special Economic Zone (SEZ), Central Lombok Regency. He will review the readiness of the bypass route and supporting facilities in the area where the 2022 MotoGP will be held.
The former mayor of Solo will also inaugurate the launch of In journey Holding BUMN for Tourism and Support. The event was held at Kuta Mandalika Beach, Central Lombok Regency. This is Jokowi’s second working visit to Mandalika in the last three months. On November 12, 2021, Jokowi visited Mandalika to review the preparations for the Superbike World Championship (WSBK). At that time, Jokowi tested the circuit that would be used in WSBK. He rode a motorbike accompanied by a number of officials, such as PUPR Minister Basuki Hadimuljono and MPR Chairman Bambang Soesatyo.
Dorna CEO: MotoGP Mandalika in Indonesia is Important
CEO of Dorna Sports, Carmelo Ezpeleta, revealed how important the MotoGP Mandalika 2022 in Indonesia is for the future of Grand Prix racing. Indonesia for the first time since 1997 will hold a MotoGP race. The Mandalika Circuit, Central Lombok, will hold the Mandalika MotoGP race on March 18-20, 2022.
Ezpeleta at the EFE Forum Sports Business Days event in Spain, Thursday (13/1), revealed how important the Mandalika MotoGP race is in Indonesia. For Ezpeleta, the Southeast Asian region is very important for the MotoGP event, that’s why holding a race in Indonesia is very necessary. “Universality is very important for MotoGP, especially above all, when it is the Southeast Asian region,” said Ezpeleta as quoted by Mundo Deportivo.
There are a total of 21 races in MotoGP 2022, including the Mandalika MotoGP in Indonesia. Ezpeleta said one of the conditions for a country to be able to hold a MotoGP race is that there is no long quarantine regulation. “The truth is, if they tell us that we have to be quarantined for 14 days, the answer is clear: No, I’m not coming! That’s the limit.” Said Ezpeleta. Currently, the Indonesian government is still implementing quarantine rules for 14 days, to prevent the new variant of Covid-19, Omicron. We’ll just see the regulations related to quarantine rules in the future.
January 13, 2022, CNN Indonesia
January 14, 2022, CNN Indonesia
(https://www.cnnindonesia.com/olahraga/20220114114159-156-746592/ceo-dorna-motogp-mandalika-di-indonesia-sangat-penting)