Members of one of the world’s biggest bike racing nations were given an extraordinary experience on Wednesday when four of the top riders from Honda’s MXGP and World Superbike teams joined them to ride through the streets of Jakarta in one of the first ever celebrity-fan events of its kind.
Words & Images: Team HRC
Dubbed ‘The Ultimate Ride’, the event was enabled by lubricant manufacturer Motul and saw five-time MXGP champion Tim Gajser, MXGP race winner Ruben Fernandez and WSBK riders Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge ride alongside hundreds of fans on motorbikes of all shapes and sizes.
The star appearances on the city streets brought bikers, clients and distributors from all around Indonesia together with the Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) riders to highlight the significance of Motul and HRC in Indonesia and celebrate their combined ability to unite the biking communities.
The event was also supported by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy and the Ministry of Youth and Sports as an effort to promote local tourism in Indonesia globally and support the growth of the motorsport industry in the country.
Luthfi Ilhami, Managing Director of Motul Indonesia, said: “This was an extraordinary event. For the first time Motul brought four HRC riders in WorldSBK and MXGP to ride with and meet and greet hundreds of Honda communities in Jakarta. It was an unforgettable experience for HRC and Motul fans.”
Motul APAC Chief Marketing Officer, Carlo Savoca, continued: “We have an extremely large and passionate community of bike fans in the region and we are proud to have been able to provide such an exclusive experience for direct interaction with the HRC racing team.”
Tetsuhiro Kuwata, HRC General Manager, added: “It was great that HRC teamed up with Motul for such a special occasion. This partnership has proven to work well over the years, with Motul providing unwavering support across the world championships. It was an amazing opportunity for us to celebrate not only with Motul but also with Indonesia’s leading figures and passionate Honda motorbike fans. These fans made this celebration even more special for us.”
Lecuona and Vierge both joined Honda’s factory Superbike team last year and continued to be regular points scorers in 2023. Vierge is particularly well known by local fans in Jakarta, having finished on the podium in the Motul-sponsored Indonesian round of the championship this year. Gajser joined the MXGP field riding a Honda in 2016 and won the championship in his debut season. He won again in 2019, 2020 and 2022 but missed much of this year through injury, although he returned to win two of the final three rounds. Fernandez debuted in 2021 and took his first race victory this season.
The event took the group of riders through Central Jakarta from the Thamrin 10 parking area to Senayan Park shopping centre. Fans also got the chance to speak to their heroes at a meet and greet event following the ride – resulting in thousands of social media posts and online videos. It was the latest example of Motul’s continued work to strengthen its relationship with Honda motorcycle communities in Indonesia through diverse activities involving many communities, with the aim of becoming an increasingly appreciated premium lubricant brand in the region.
Ilhami added: “HRC and Honda have a large fan base in Indonesia, and Motul offers a complete range of lubricant and motorcycle care products for all layers of the Honda motorcycle community in Indonesia, not only for high-performance motorcycles but also for daily scooters.”
Tim Gajser:
“It is always a pleasure to come to Indonesia. We always get such a nice greeting when we get here and this time in Jakarta has been no different. It was a really fun event that Motul put on for us, riding along the streets with all the fans in the parade was something that I won’t forget because it was such a unique experience. It was also nice to share it with our WorldSBK colleagues Iker (Lecuona) and Xavi (Vierge), who were great company for the few days, and hopefully I can get to see them in action at a race in the future.
Unfortunately, I missed the two Indonesian GP’s this year through injury but coming here almost made up for that, and I can’t wait to come back to Sumbawa and Lombok in 2024 to try and win in this wonderful country again. Thank you to Motul and for everyone who we met along the way.”
Ruben Fernandez:
“I wasn’t sure what to expect coming here for this event but Motul did an amazing job organising the parade and the meet and greet with the fans, and just the whole event was really cool. I’ve enjoyed my time coming to Indonesia previously, so I knew to expect a lot of really passionate people, and that was once again the case when we were out on the bikes. I was told over 700 bikes joined us for the parade, but it felt like more given the noise everyone was making. It was also cool to be riding with Iker and Xavi, who are fellow Spaniards, and who I now consider to be friends after this event. A big thanks to everyone involved in making this event happen and to all the Indonesian people for their hospitality.”
