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Motor racing fans will have the chance to watch four single-seater races at the Asian Festival of Speed (AFOS), to be held at Sentul International Circuit, south of Jakarta, on July 21 and 22.
"This is the second year Asia's premier racing event has come to Sentul, after last year. This race is similar to Formula One in many respects, with the high level of the participating drivers and a very strong championship," said David Sonenscher, CEO of event organizer Motorsport Asia.
The AFOS features four series. These are Formula V6 Asia, Formula BMW Asia, Asian Touring Car Series and Porsche Carrera Cup Asia.
Sonenscher said drivers from at least 20 countries would compete in the event.
"This race is very competitive, despite its name as the Asian championships, given that the event is also open to participants from countries (outside Asia)," said Indonesia Motorsport Association secretary-general Irawan Sucahyono.
He said the race would be a good opportunity for Indonesian drivers to test their skills against a high level of competition.
"AFOS has been held for the last decade, with drivers like Ananda Mikola and Alex Yoong of Malaysia participating," Irawan said. "Hopefully, in the next five years, we can see more national drivers competing in the races."
Drivers Satrio Hermanto and Zahir Ali will represent Indonesia at the event.
Satrio, driving for Team Meritus in Formula V6 Asia, will face a strong challenge from championship point leader Seth Ingham of the U.S., Hanss Lin of Chinese Taipei, James Winslow of Britain, Armaan Ebrahim of India and 2006 Formula BMW Asia champ Earl Bamber of New Zealand.
"I hope that racing before the home crowd will be an advantage for me and help me get to the podium," said Satrio, who turns 23 on Thursday.
Zahir will compete in the Formula BMW Asia race for Team Eurasia. Zahir, now sixth on the leaderboard, will have to deal with championship points leader Jazeman Jaafar of Malaysia and James Grunwell of Thailand.
Event sponsor Michelin announced it would give away 10,000 tickets to customers to help ensure the success of the event.
Tickets will cost Rp 20,000 (US$2.20) and can be purchased at Sentul Circuit starting July 16.
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