MotoGP race will bring 60,000 fans to Indonesian circuit

By NINIEK KARMINI
Associated Press

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia’s first MotoGP race in 25 years will attract the biggest crowd for any sporting event in the country since the start of the coronavirus pandemic when 60,000 fans descend on the tourist island of Lombok. Indonesian President Joko Widodo hosted 20 racers at the presidential palace in the capital, Jakarta, on Wednesday before the launch of a parade in the buildup to Sunday’s grand prix at the beachside Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit. Indonesia has been seeking inclusion in the race calendar but struggled to get a world-class circuit until Widodo’s administration in 2015 picked Mandalika on the picturesque Lombok island, next to Bali, to build a new racing track.