KUALA LUMPUR – This weekend’s Malaysian MotoGP saw total of 163,567 spectators flock to the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) to catch their favourite riders hitting the track.
Although the figure did not reach the 170,000 attendance record in the race’s 2019 edition, SIC chief executive officer Azhan Shafriman Hanif said the turnout this round was promising.
“Given the fact that it is a long weekend and also Deepavali tomorrow (October 24), it is really good to see so many people come out for the race weekend.
“What is even more surprising is to see so many people here with their families. I saw so many people pushing around strollers.
“Good thing it did not rain during the race, I was really hoping for good weather and luckily the weather was alright,” he said during a press conference.
The attendance for Friday’s practice sessions was 21,015, with 53,937 attending the qualifying session on Saturday, and 88,615 showing up for race day.
Previously, Azhan said ticket sales had surpassed 50%, but the target of 2019’s 170,000 would be a tough challenge.
Meanwhile, Azhan said the upcoming Sepang 1,000km (S1K) Endurance Race would most likely be postponed due to the upcoming general election on November 19.
“The race was supposed to be on November 19 and 20, but now with the elections, we would most likely have to postpone it.
“We will talk to the teams and move the dates around and will announce the new dates for the S1K very soon,” he said.
In today’s penultimate MotoGP race for the season, Francesco Bagnaia crossed the line in first, but Fabio Quartararo’s efforts to retain the title forced the former to continue the championship battle at the last race in Valencia, Spain. – The Vibes, October 23, 2022
