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A TRAVEL bubble will be implemented for MotoGP Indonesia 2022, which will take place at the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit, Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, from March 18–20, 2022.
According to Deputy director of the Mandalika Grand Prix Association (MGPA), Cahyadi Wanda, said that the travel bubble will be implemented to maintain the security and safety of people considering the current pandemic situation. The system will come into effect during the pre-season test from February 11–13.
“So, once the racers and officials land, they will be separated from the community. They will be in ‘a bubble’ and will only meet with fellow committee members,” Wanda said at a press conference here on Wednesday (2/02).
He added that the arrival of the drivers and officials will also be preceded by a PCR test, he informed. They will also remain at their hotel until the results of the PCR test come out, he said. After that, the new riders and officials will be allowed to carry out activities.
“However, it (the area where they can move) will be very limited, only hotels and the circuit. So, they will not be able to meet anyone except those in ‘the bubble’. To make MotoGP successful, MGPA is also cooperating with the Indonesian Motorcycle Association (IMI),” he informed.
Meanwhile Deputy chairman of Motorcycle Sports, Sadikin Aksa, said that as part of the collaboration, IMI will prepare human resources (HR) to make the race a success. IMI senior members will also be deployed to the field so that incidents like (the one witnessed at) the World Superbike (WSBK) are not repeated.
“Our first task is how to assist in improving the grade of the circuit. So, before the MotoGP series, the Mandalika Circuit was already grade A. The pre-season test from February 11–13 will also be used for marshal training to be more ready for the race,” he added.
Likewise, IMI general chair Bambang Soesatyo said the association will try its utmost to make the MotoGP event a success. Our target: billions of people in the world witness the beauty of Mandalika. From there, we hope that people will come to Indonesia. What is expected from MotoGP, Indonesian riders can participate in (the premier class) in the future.
“The West Nusa Tenggara regional police earlier confirmed that security measures at Mandalika Circuit would be adjusted during the 2022 MotoGP, which has been projected to attract up to 100 thousand spectators,” he informed.
“Though the total allowed spectators have not been determined yet, we predict the number may reach 100 thousand, significantly increasing from the earlier World Superbike Championship that capped the maximum spectator (attendance) at 25 thousand,” West Nusa Tenggara Police’s operational bureau head, Senior Commissioner Imam Thobroni, said here.
Given the projected number of spectators, adjustments will be made to the security measures, he said adding, they will involve the deployment of extra officers and more security equipment.
“In the last World Superbike Championship, we deployed around 2,700 personnel. We can dispatch up to 3 thousand officers for the MotoGP race,” Thobroni informed.
Extra helicopters, police boats, and special scanning equipment will be among the security equipment allocated to secure the race and the circuit from security threats. “We will prepare scanner vehicles to examine visitors’ belongings before they enter the circuit arena,” the senior commissioner added. [antaranews]
