Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno has urged people to continue cheering for racers Enea Bastianini and Fabio Di Ginnantonio although they failed to reach the podium in the Mandalika MotoGP race on Sunday.
The two racers are on the Gresini Racing team, which is collaborating with the ministry to promote Indonesian tourism and creative economy by displaying a “Wonderful Indonesia” logo on their Ducati motorbike’s winglet.
During the MotoGP second series at the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit, Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, on Sunday (March 20, 2022), Bastianini started the race from the fifth position and finished in the 11th position, while Giannantonio finished in the 20th position.
Uno called for public support for the duo since Bastianini remains on top of the MotoGP World Championship despite his loss. He collected 30 points, or two points higher than Red Bull KTM racer Brad Binder.
“However, Bastianini remained to reach the first position from the total points of two races in Qatar and Mandalika. This result is expected to become a lesson learned for the Wonderful Indonesia team and we keep on cheering them up,” Uno pointed out.
There must be wins and losses in every competition, he highlighted. Giannantonio also apologized for not achieving the best result.
“That was their first experience in having the race while raining like as such,” Uno noted.
The minister also affirmed his support for Indonesian racer Mario Aji, who competed in Moto3. Aji initially started the race in the third position, but he finished in the 14th position.
“We also support him. I talked to Mario that he should continue practicing and he can be successful with the right coach,” he remarked.
Source: Antara News