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ndonesian motorsport fans are invited to attend the prestigious Formula One (F1) and MotoGP events that will be held in Malaysia in October.

The neighboring country will host the 16th series of Formula 1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2, as well as the Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix from Oct. 28 to 30.

“It will be thrilling for Indonesian fans to cheer on their countrymen live in Sepang,” Dato Razlan Razali, CEO of Sepang International Circuit, told a press conference held in Jakarta on Wednesday.

“Malaysia is one of the nearest venues to Indonesia hosting these two events and is also a relatively affordable destination,” he added.

This year’s F1 will likely be special for Indonesians as they may witness their hometown hero Rio Haryanto fighting under the Manor Racing team — if he holds onto the seat.

Rio’s continuance in the expensive sport is in question as he faces funding problems. Rio is reportedly short by €7.5 million (US$8.24 million) of the €15 million he needs in a contract deal with Manor as a paying driver.

Initially, the funds he had paid limited Rio’s participation to only a recent race in Hungary.

Later, the deal has been extended to the Budapest GP on July 22 to 24, according to Gatot S. Dewa Broto, a spokesman of the Youth and Sports Ministry. Manor may replace Rio with another driver should the Indonesian driver fails to fulfill the financial requirement after Budapest.

Manor, as reported, is still seeking ways to increase sponsorship to keep Rio in the driving seat until the end of the season.

Other Indonesian drivers, Sean Gelael and Philo Paz Armand, will also be available for the GP2 series — one tier under the F1 — in Sepang.

On the MotoGP track, Indonesia will have Andi Izdihar and Gerry Salim among five racers participating in the Shell Advance Asia Talent Cup, a feeder championship
held in conjunction with the MotoGP.

In the MotoGP event, Indonesian fans have been the largest group from overseas by far with 8,564 visitors in 2014 and 9,438 in 2015. Indonesians make up the second largest group of Asian fans in the F1.

The tickets for F1 will be sold for Rp 1.4 million to Rp 9.5 million, while the MotoGP tickets are available for prices varying from Rp 250,000 to Rp 1.2 million.

Visit sepangcircuit.com for more information and tourism packages for the race events.