Ahok cancels fund support for racer Rio Haryanto

Edna Tarigan

Posted: Wed, November 18 2015 | 01:35 pm

Indonesian racer Rio Haryanto kisses his trophy after finishing in second place at the GP2 series on the Sochi Circuit, Russia, on Oct. 11. (Photo courtesy of GP2 Series official website)

The Jakarta administration's plan to support Indonesian racer Rio Haryanto to participate in the Formula One racing competition has been hampered by regulations, Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama said on Wednesday.

Ahok said that the city administration was not allowed to use the City Budget (APBD), even though he had announced plans to help fund Rio join the prestigious international event.

"I have checked the regulations from the development finance comptroller and the city budget cannot be used for commercial purposes like Formula One. We can't support professional athletes," he told reporters at City Hall.

Ahok said that the Jakarta administration was different from a state-run company. State-run companies, such as Bank Mandiri or Pertamina, are allowed to sponsor athletes.

Last month, Ahok said that he would support Rio. Rio currently competes in the GP2 series. The sponsorship plan was also designed to promote Jakarta to an international audience.

After competing for four seasons in GP2, Rio needs an estimated US$16 million in order to propel his career to the higher competition level of Formula One.

State oil-and-gas firm Pertamina acts as Rio's main sponsor and the company had announced that it would give 5 million euros to Rio.

Rio said in October that the deadline to register for the race was in November. (rin)(+)