SEPANG, Feb 21 — The Sepang International Circuit (SIC) hopes to change the public’s perception of it being a venue for the elite group.

SIC chief executive officer Azhan Shafriman Hanif said they are focusing on efforts to host not just motorsports events but also other activities that will bring the venue closer to the people, such as concerts and marathons.

“The public’s perception of the SIC is that it is a place for the elites due to, perhaps, previous events held there, such as the Formula One, and this resulted in them thinking that this is an expensive venue.

“So, we hope to change that perception this year by opening more space for other events. We hope that whoever is looking for an event venue will contact us to get an affordable price at the SIC,” he told reporters at the SIC Open Day, here, today.

However, he said that, so far, the weekend slots for this year had been fully booked by organisers, though there are still slots available on other days.

Azhan Shafriman also said they are still discussing with the Selangor government to abolish the entertainment tax imposed on spectators for the 2023 World Motorcycle Championships, including the World Motorcycle Grand Prix (MotoGP).

“We are looking at getting a full 25 per cent waiver or a slight reduction on the entertainment tax from the state government for the World Motorcycle Championships. We will inform (the public) once a decision is made,” he said.

He is also targeting a five per cent increase in the number of spectators for the prestigious world meet compared to the 164,000 who turned up last year.

He said the increased number of spectators, especially Malaysians, for the World Motorcycle Championships at the SIC this year is crucial since national ace Syarifuddin Azman, better known as ‘Damok’, will be making his maiden appearance in the Moto3 class with team MTHelmets-MSI.

“In addition, the KPI (key performance index) for this year is also to attract more foreign visitors to watch the World Motorcycle Championships at the SIC,” he said.

Meanwhile, Azhan Shafriman said the main objective of today’s SIC Open Day was to celebrate the support of the sponsors and clients over the years and to announce SIC’s plans for this year. — Bernama