Tag: F1 H20 Toba 2023

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) lauded the event of the 2023 World Championship F1 Powerboat (F1H2O) that potentially improved the local economy.

“This is a fascinating event, and this is the first time I watched this F1 Powerboat,” Jokowi said after attending the event in Muliaraja Napitupulu Port in Lake Toba, North Sumatra, on Sunday.

The event could encourage economic growth around the race area, which needs to be balanced with infrastructure improvements.

Several improvements are needed in several parts of the Lake Toba area, including the infrastructure and the airport terminal.

President Jokowi and First Lady Iriana arrived on Sunday to watch the 2023 F1H2O World Championship. Jokowi also greeted and took a picture together with the F1H20 racers.

Additionally, the Director General of Information and Public Communication at the Ministry of Communication and Informatics, Usman Kansong said on Friday (Feb 24) the F1 Powerboat Championship can encourage Indonesian tourism, especially Lake Toba, as the main destination choice for world tourists.

The local government prepared at least 502 outlets for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) actors to exhibit and promote their products, which varied from food products and beverages to souvenirs during the event.

The state-owned tourism and aviation holding, InJourney, said the 2023 F1H2O was held successfully. “This event has been successfully completed, namely the qualification round and the race,” InJourney Director Dony Oskaria said.

The success of the F1 Powerboat event impacts the society’s economy ranging from lodging, MSMEs, transportation, and others. “This is our target in preparing every event. By broadcasting F1 Powerboat on 15 international television stations and being watched by hundreds of millions, Lake Toba will become more famous worldwide,” he remarked.

The event also empowered several local motorized rickshaw taxi or bentor drivers.

On Sunday, a bentor driver named Daniel Manurung said the event brought him more passengers, amounting to three to four times the number he got on regular days. On weekdays, his average daily income ranged from Rp50 thousand to Rp80 thousand, but Manurung could earn around Rp150 thousand to Rp 200 thousand per day during the event.

The F1H2O World Championship is a flagship international race series of single-seater sport boats held by the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM). Ten teams joined the current F1H2O with a total of 20 racers.

There are eight racing series in one championship season, with the first being held in Lake Toba, Indonesia, in 2023. Bartek Marszalek of Stromoy Racing earned full points after winning Race 1 of the F1 Powerboat (F1H2O) World Championship’s first round in Lake Toba on Sunday. In the 30-minute race, the Polish rider finished first after crossing the 2.2 kilometer circuit with 18 laps. Marszalek gained 20 points, becoming a valuable resource to compete in the next seven rounds in this year’s F1H2O.

“It is incredible to win the race. I really enjoyed it. This morning’s weather was perfect for the qualifier, and we had a lot of spectators around the lake; so many smiles gave extra motivation. I was excellent on the motorboat,” Marszalek said after the race.

Sami Selio of the Sharjah team won second place at 01.97 seconds behind Marszalek, while Erik Stark from the Victory team won third place at 03.26 seconds behind the first winner.

After the race, President Jokowi handed the trophy directly to the winner on the podium.

–Antara

• One of the most spacious lakes in the world offers a great destination for athletes to compete and tourists to enjoy the scenic vistas

In developing its sports tourism potential, Indonesia holds many championships or sports events, and one of the closest is the F1 Powerboat (F1H2O) World Championship in Lake Toba, North Sumatra, on February 24-26. Lake Toba, one of the most spacious lakes in the world, offers a great destination for athletes to compete, and tourists to enjoy the scenic view.

Assistant Deputy for Sustainable Tourism Development at the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Kosmas Harefa, stated that the preparation for the F1H2O World Championship in Lake Toba reached 70 percent as of January 24. “It is expected that the preparations are in accordance with the target and all the main gates will have been completed by February 10,” Harefa said in a virtual gathering.

The F1 Powerboat is the world’s largest motorboat racing competition for powerboats, on par with Formula 1 or MotoGP. Harefa revealed that one of the facilities’ constructions, which is a centralized parking location, can accommodate three thousand to four thousand cars. “Currently, the Toba District Government, supported by the North Sumatra Provincial Public Works Office, has prepared a vast parking lot,” he added. According to him, the number of visitors is targeted to reach 20 thousand to 25 thousand, by promoting the event intensively.

Meanwhile, Minister of Youth and Sports Zainudin Amali said Lake Toba as the host of F1H20 is very ready to organize this activity, as proven by the venue readiness and other supporting facilities. “The government has prepared many F1 Powerboat post events, to support the economy of the Toba people,” Amali, who serves as the Chairperson of the F1H2O National Committee, said.

Lake Toba Cooler
He also ensured that the F1 Powerboat at Lake Toba will pamper the visitors, as he claimed the location is cooler than Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE), where the previous F1 Powerboat event was held on December 16, 2022. “In Sharjah, the venue was an artificial lake and the weather was very hot. This is very different from Lake Toba where the air is cool and not artificial,” he explained. He emphasized, the government has been preparing this event very seriously and hoping for support from various parties to make F1 Powerboat 2023 a success.

Moreover, he expressed hope that the F1 Powerboat implementation can result in the emergence of new water sports racing athletes in Indonesia. “We hope that this international event at Lake Toba can find new athletes and hopefully, they can excel,” Amali said. He added, the event can promote local micro, small, and medium enterprises and show the world’s trust in Indonesia in holding international events.

Unique to the world
State-owned tourism holding firm InJourney said that the F1H20 circuit in Lake Toba is the most unique in the world. “This circuit is quite unique because the track is on the lake. We have carried out the homologation (verification of the track’s safety), and the circuit length is 2.2 km. Its shape is unique because Lake Toba is a volcanic lake,” InJourney’s Marketing and Consumer Experience Director Maya Watono said on Wednesday.

Furthermore, InJourney President Director Dony Oskaria said that the F1H20 will involve the local communities. Oskaria explained, the shores of Lake Toba can serve as places for the spectators and local people are allowed to collect fees as long as they are registered as InJourney official partners. InJourney also involved 500 students as event organizers and will give them certificates.

Minister Amali said the F1H20 event can encourage Lake Toba as one of Indonesia’s super-priority tourism destinations, just as Lake Toba has gained the trust of the F1 Committee to host F1H2O for the next five years or until 2027.

By Kenzu Tandiah,
Ed: Rahmad Nasution
COPYRIGHT (c) ANTARA 2023