Lee (fourth left) and officials salute winners on the podium on Sunday.
MIRI: The state government is committed to assist Sarawak Motocross Club to organise the International Motocross Championship 2018 as a spur for sports tourism in the state.
Assistant Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Lee Kim Shin was speaking at the closing ceremony of Borneo Motocross Championships 2017 here on Sunday.
The event, organised by Sarawak Motocross Club and Automobile Association of Malaysia (AAM), attracted 70 participants from Brunei, Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.
Lee noted that the Miri Motorcross Track, which is recognised by AAM, is most suitable for hosting international races. He said the circuit, which was built seven years ago, gives an advantage to Mirians to organise more local and foreign events.
“We have also produced many extreme sports motocross champions at the Asian level and ten of them have made their name in international tournaments,” he added.
The construction of the Miri circuit, he believed, helped to address the problem of illegal racing.
“We are also hoping to invite riders from Korea, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Brunei, Australia and so on to come to test the circuit that we have here,” Lee said.