KUALA LUMPUR: Sepang International Circuit (SIC) is expecting to attract a record-breaking 200,000 fans for the Petronas Grand Prix of Malaysia on Nov 1-3.
This year's Malaysian GP marks the 25th anniversary of the circuit, which opened its doors in 1999, Petronas' 50th anniversary as well as the 75th anniversary of the MotoGP series.
SIC chief executive officer Azhan Shafriman Hanif disclosed that 50 per cent of tickets have already been sold.
"It will be a more meaningful edition of the race with the triple celebrations this year," said Shafriman during a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today.
"We are targetting an attendance of 200,000 this year, which is roughly 20,000 more than last year.
"We have already sold 50 per cent of the tickets and are expecting more to be sold over the coming weeks.
"From previous seasons, we know that the local fans tend to buy their tickets at the last minute.
"We are expecting an exciting event over the three-days. Being the second last race of the season, the competition is always very close and it is common for the world title to be decided here, as we saw in Moto2 last year."
A total of 182,912 fans attended the event over three days last year which was a big increase from the 163,567 that attended in 2022. The increase was largely due to the introduction of the sprint race format last year which boosted attendance on Saturday.
Shafriman added that Sepang Circuit will continue to host MotoGP until 2026.
"We have extended the contract with the MotoGP rights holders until 2026, we have also obtained approval from the government," he said.
"The government has invested a lot to bring MotoGP here and the Malaysian GP brings in roughly 3.5 times return on investment every year it is held."
Shafriman disclosed that it has yet to be decided whether there will be any Malaysian riders competing on wildcards in either Moto2 or Moto3 this year.
"It depends on whether we are able to secure sponsorship for the riders to compete on wildcards. We do not want to burden the government and are hoping that the corporate sector can step in and support our riders," said Shafriman.
There are no Malaysians competing as full season riders in MotoGP, Moto2 nor Moto3 this year.
SIC also announced that there will be a concert held after the MotoGP race on Sep 3 dubbed the After Race Fest.
Among the performers who have been confirmed for the After Race Fest are Macklemore, Smash Mouth, Nidji, Feel Koplo, 6ixth Sense and De Fam. More artistes are expected to be confirmed in the coming weeks.
Early bird ticket (Aug 20-31) price for MotoGP with access to the After Race Fest is RM500. The price will go up to RM600 after Sep 1.
SIC is also offering a 25 per cent discount on MotoGP tickets under its Merdeka promo between Aug 14-Sep 20. Ticket Rahmah for the K2 Hillstand has been priced at RM49.90.