Pertamina Mandalika SAG Racing Team Again Not Selecting Racers from Indonesia, This Time Choose Lorenzo Dalla Porta

Pertamina Mandalika SAG Racing Team chose Lorenzo Dalla Porta (right). (Photo: Instagram @segracingteam)

JAKARTA Pertamina Mandalika SAG Racing Team again appointed foreign racers to strengthen their teams. This time, Italian racer Lorenzo Dalla Porta was contracted for the 2023-2024 Moto2 World Championships.

SAG announced the collaboration with the 2019 Moto3 champion on Friday, September 23. Next year will be the third season of the team in the Moto2 championship.

"After considering all the offers carefully, we chose Lorenzo Dalla Porta, because of his extraordinary experience in the Moto2 category and also because he is the Moto3 World Champion," said team boss Eduardo Perales.

Dall Porta was chosen to fill the place left by previous rider Gabriel Rodrigo. The Argentine driver chose to retire early due to injury problems.

Rodrigo's position is currently filled with Japanese racer, Taiga Hada, but only temporarily. SAG then brought in Dalla Porta and tied him up with a two-year contract duration.

"He's a rider with experience and potential, who has been injured in recent years, but now he's recovering. He's a team bet and we know that we've done very well," Perales said.

Dalla Porta will later become a partner of Bo Bendsneyder drivers. The Dutchman has just been offered a contract extension until 2023.

The appointment of Dalla Porta automatically eliminates the hopes of Indonesian racers to strengthen the team that carries the name Red and White. So far the team has not relied on local racers to strengthen their teams.

In fact, during the first KIPrah last 2021, SAG had entered the name of Dimas Ekky Pratama. However, they then crossed it out because it did not meet the criteria for the Grand Prix.

This is understandable because so far, Indonesian racers have not been able to talk much at the Grand Prix level racing event.

Dimas dan Andi Farid Izdihar atau yang biasa dikenal dengan Andi Gilang, yang pernah bertarung di kelas Moto2 dan Moto3 tercatat selalu kesulitan bersaing. Mandalika SAG Racing Team sendiri pernah berusaha merekrut Andi Gilang 2021 lalu.

Unfortunately, at that time the 24-year-old racer was still in Honda Team Asia. He had difficulty competing in the top 15 that year but could get points four times.