RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia is looking beyond hosting duties as it prepares for a major regional racing event, with officials hoping the exposure will inspire and produce a new generation of local racers.

Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports Taufik Hidayat expressed hope that new Indonesian racers will emerge following the GT World Challenge Asia 2026.

Indonesia will once again host the GT World Challenge Asia 2026 at the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit in Mandalika, Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, from May 1-3, 2026.

“From the Ministry of Youth and Sports, we are looking at the prospects of athletes. We are looking ahead,” Deputy Minister Taufik said during a press conference in Jakarta on Monday, April 6, as quoted by Antara.

“With competitions like this, we hope that in the future there will be athletes from Indonesia,” he added.

He emphasized that Indonesia should not only act as the host of this Asian-level racing event. Instead, he called for the competition to be used to promote sports tourism and to nurture new racing talents in the country.

This will be the second edition of the GT World Challenge Asia held in Mandalika. A total of 23 race cars, featuring 46 drivers from 17 countries, will participate in the event.

The participating countries include China, Japan, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, Italy, the United States, Denmark, and Canada.

The prestigious event is expected to attract around 9,000 spectators to the circuit over the race weekend. ***