CNN Indonesia
Thursday September 21, 2023 00:16 IWST
Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
Runner Moto2Sam Lowes cannot enter India until Wednesday (20/9) for a strange passport reason.
Lowes currently lives on the Isle of Man, aka Mann Island. Administratively, the region is part of the United Kingdom.
This means that Lowes has a British passport. However, Indian authorities required an Isle of Man passport as a condition of obtaining a visa to enter India. Even though there is no Isle of Man passport.
“It’s like asking a Swiss resident for a Geneva passport,” a Lowes colleague was quoted as saying by Speed Week.
The problem of riders being prevented from entering India is not only experienced by Lowes. A number of MotoGP team riders and crew have also encountered visa issues. But little by little, the team’s riders and crew were able to come to India.
This week’s Indian MotoGP is the first time that India is hosting the MotoGP series. In preparing for this week’s race, a number of obstacles emerged.
Apart from entry visas, India is also seen as a concern in the run-up to the race. This can be seen in the way the riders’ motorcycles are handled, which are only transported by old-fashioned trucks.
Apart from this, there is also a problem because the Buddhist Circuit is not yet sterile. There are still local residents sleeping in the circuit area. Another problem that arises is that of housing which is considered expensive compared to other series.
(ptr/ptr)
