The Sepang International Circuit is set to host the Malaysian Grand Prix 2023 in November. — Filepic
The upcoming Malaysian Grand Prix 2023 edition from Nov 10 to 12 may welcome 11,000 Indonesian spectators, compared to only 6,000 last year, said Sepang International Circuit (SIC) chief executive officer Azhan Shafriman Hanif.
SIC is committed to delivering the highest quality for the race and will ensure those coming to the circuit will witness jam-packed action on the track.
“I’m grateful for the support from Indonesian fans during this time because they are the biggest international audience for the Malaysian Grand Prix, and we are truly grateful for that,” he said.
Speaking at the media briefing in Sepang recently as part of a promotional tour, Azhan Shafriman said the event promises to be more exciting, including the introduction of the new MotoGP format, sprint race, riders parade, and hero walk.
A notable highlight of the event is the professional debut of Malaysian rider Syarifuddin Azman, known as Damok, from MT Helmets-MSI, who will be competing in Moto3.
Special off-track activities will begin with pre-events during race week in line with this year’s theme #KasiGegar, or “gaspol” in Indonesia.
Activities include the Public Pit Lane Walk and MotoGP Rider’s Autograph Session on Nov 10, offering fans the opportunity to get up close and personal with their favourite riders.
Meanwhile, Tourism Malaysia Jakarta director Junus Suhid said Indonesia will always be an essential market for the tourism sector in Malaysia.
“In 2022, Malaysia recorded the arrival of 1.481 million tourists from Indonesia, making it the second-highest (in) number after Singapore.
“This position seems consistent with the arrival of 704,147 Indonesian foreign tourists recorded in the January-March period this year,” he said.
Dino-myte!
Meanwhile, Perak is set to have its first dinosaur park at Gunung Lang Recreation Park, and it is expected to be operational in August next year.
Ipoh Mayor Datuk Rumaizi Baharin said the park, which is a new tourism product in conjunction with Visit Perak Year 2024, would have more than 30 static and animatronic prehistoric animals.
“The project is a collaboration between Ipoh City Council (MBI) and Pebec Berhad. We have two phases of construction. Phase one involves a construction period of six to eight months to build animatronic prehistoric animals, as well as a learning centre that can accommodate 100 students at a time.
“Phase two will start within a year of the opening of phase one, but it depends on the response. We plan to build a 3D/4D cinema and a water playground,” he said at a press conference in Ipoh recently.
With the setting up of the park, Rumaizi said Perak would be the seventh state to have such a theme park in the country.
He added that the dinosaur park will be built on a 2.4ha of land at the Kinta Valley Geopark.
“About 20,000 to 30,000 people visited Gunung Lang per month, and during school holidays it can be up to 40,000 visitors. When the dinosaur park is completed, it will definitely be a new tourist attraction in the district and Perak in particular,” he said. – Bernama
