We continue the journey around the world and report from other countries. Friendly journalists report on the epidemiological and karting situation for Polish Karting. This time we are in Indonesia, one of the largest countries of far Asia.
Edi „Imola” Batrawan, one of Indonesian motorsport photographers, whom we know very well from karting events in Europe, is convinced that in Indonesia karting will return to the competition, but certainly not full series.
– Due to COVID-19 pandemic, all activities are postponed for undetermined time. Indonesian now are used to Work From Home (WFH) to flatten the curve since two months ago – says Edi Batrawan. – The government is targeting social distancing to end at the end of June. However, many Indonesians insist to do pulang-kampung (back to their hometown) after Ramadhan ends (it ends until May 23 – ed.) and violate social distancing rule. It turns out the opposite, I am pessimist to say that it will be over at the end of June.
Karting in Indonesia, just like in other Asian countries has stopped. – Our entire race calendar and schedule is canceled until the government allows us to return. In this respect, however, I am fully optimistic. I think that all competition will be held again but without full series. In terms of karting, Indonesian karters are still fired up to join future competition and do practice at Sentul Circuit – reports Edi.
Indonesia is a very exotic country for Poles. Few know, however, that this is a huge country with almost two million square kilometers of surface area and the fourth most populous in the world (over 261 million people). It covers a huge area of several large Asian islands, including Sumatra, Java and Borneo.
Karting structure in Indonesia is one national series, which was established after 2016. – Rotax Max Challenge Indonesia was existed but it is no longer held since 2016, so Indonesian racers can only compete on Asia-level. Henceforth, from 2016 until now, a national level event called ESHARK National Karting Championship was held with one organizer using a ROK machines. The number of active Indonesian karters is approximately 80 people. When it comes to communication during the epidemic, the organizer of this series communicates with the whole environment, routinely providing a report on the current situation – says Edi Batrawan. – ROK, Rotax, and IAME existence provide many choices for racers to join the competition especially in Asia.
I asked Edi what he thought the situation would look like after the cessation of the epidemic. – Recovery takes time. Much cleaner living habits might become a new additional regulation for organizers – says Edi.
Every year, Indonesians participate in international karting competitions, not only in Asia, but also in global and European competitions. In the 2019 season, 9 drivers from Indonesia took part in the IAME and Rok Cup world finals.
photo Edi Batrawan
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