The WRC Promoter negotiates with event organizers and effectively determines the championship’s calendar. Simon Larkin, the WRC Promoter’s Event Director, has previously mentioned that he faces a “positive problem” as there are more nations interested in hosting a rally than there are slots available in the calendar.
This week, Larkin and the WRC Promoter’s senior director of sport, Peter Thul, made an official trip to Indonesia. Their goal: bringing a WRC event to the country within two years.
During their visit, they met with Indonesia’s Minister of Youth and Sports, Dito Ariotedjo, and Bambang Soesatyo, the president of Indonesia’s motorsport federation.
Indonesian actor Raffi Ahmad, who also attended the meeting, posted a photo of the gathering on Instagram.
In his caption, Ahmad noted that the discussion centered around holding a WRC round in North Sumatra. During the meeting, the Indonesian motorsport federation and the WRC Promoter signed a cooperation agreement.
Indonesia previously hosted WRC rounds in 1996 and 1997, with Carlos Sainz claiming victory both times on North Sumatra’s unique gravel stages. However, the 1998 event was canceled due to the country’s political instability.
Indonesia’s connection to the WRC grew stronger last year when local rally driver Putra Rizky purchased a Ford Puma Rally1 car from the M-Sport Ford team. Rizky went on to win the Indonesian national rally sprint series with the car.
In recent years, the region has also hosted a round of the Asia Cup.
