All in For Rio

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Rio Haryanto, 23, is still pinching himself. On March 20, he will suit up against fellow Formula 1 racers Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Raikkonen and Jenson Buttonall champions of the F1 racing circuit. "I still feel I'm dreaming," said Rio, who spoke over the phone in Singapore last Thursday.

Sitting behind the steering wheel of a Formula 1 racing car is a dream for many youngsters. It is still the big leagues of racing. But the number of seats is limited. This year, there are only 22. Newcomers have to pay to reserve their slots.

Rio is one such pay driver, joining Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso and Niki Lauda in getting his start on the circuit. In order to support the Manor Racing team, Rio's managemint team will pay 15 million, or around Rp219 billion.

Of the total, Rio's management has so far paid just 5.25 million. Rio shakes off questions about the balance. "I'm just focusing on the racing," he said.

It is Indah Pennywati, Rio's mother, and Piers Hunnisett, a British citizen serving as Rio Haryanto's manager, who are tasked with sourcing the remaining funds. As a former racer himself, Hunnisett knows how much it costs to join the circuit. "You should remember, the engines for both cars (of the Manor team) cost 25 million (Rp368 billion). The gearboxes cost 6 million on their own," he said.

In addition, according to Hunnisett, the Manor team employs more than 100 staff members. Every week, the team has to spend at least 1 million on their salaries.

Fuel, according to the man who once managed the career of Narain Karthikeyan, the first Indian racer in Formula 1, costs another 2.8 million a year, not to mention expenses for tires and research and development. Top teams like Red Bull spend a total of 420 million. "Ferrari spends much more," he said.

Manor's team finished in last place last year, but this year hopes to catapult into the middle ranks. As Hunnisett noted, Manor's budget for this year is just 120 million, or Rp1.7 trillion.

Indah, like Hunnisett, travels back and forth between Jakarta and Solo to raise funds. "When in Jakarta seeking funds in the morning, I visit the youth and sports ministry. At noon, I meet with people ready for our appeal to give sponsor's support and in the afternoon, I go to the House of Representatives (DPR). I have to make it to three places in one day."

There are also meetings with Pertamina, the state-owned oil company that has been sponsoring Rio since 2010, when he was in the GP3 arena, two levels below Formula 1.

After two attempts to raise funds by the ministry of state-owned enterprises (SOE) failed, Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi has floated other strategies, including freeing Rp100 billion from the Revised State Budget (APBN-P) to be channeled to Rio. The proposal generated heated protest, however, from certain quarters.

Minister Imam is also continuing to seek sponsors, including from Garuda Indonesia. "The performance of Rio in F1 constitutes history as well as national pride. We hope Garuda Indonesia will become a sponsor as we're still short of the funds needed," Imam said after meeting with the human resources and general affairs director of Garuda Indonesia, Heryanto Agung Putra, two weeks ago.

Imam has pinned a lot of hope on Garuda Indonesia. He is also counting on a cooperation between the youth and sports ministry and the SOE ministry to provide support for youth and sports activities.

Before the preseason test in Barcelona, just 3 million had been paid as down payment to Manor. The money did not come from sponsors either. "My husband and I strived to make it," Indah said, who declined to elaborate on the money's origins.

After the payment was transferred, Pertamina moved fast. Coordinated by corporate communication vice president Wianda Pusponegoro, the documents were submitted on a Tuesday afternoon.

The next day, at 11am on February 16, 2.25 million were successfully transferred. As was agreed, the remainder of the 5 million already pledged would be transferred at a later date. The following day, Manor formally announced Rio Haryanto as a Formula 1 racer.

As a major sponsor, Pertamina enjoys the right to affix its logo to the rear wings and hoods of two of Manor's race cars, as well as to the helmet and chest of Rio's racing suit. According to Wianda, this will help Pertamina build global awareness of its brand.

"Pertamina's logos on Manor cars will arouse people's curiosity about who we are," Wianda said. "We keep talking to Manor to discuss the tracks that can be used to introduce Pertamina as an Indonesian energy company.

Wianda has calculated that the profits generated by the increased visibility will surpass the costs of sponsorship. Last year, to support Rio Haryanto in GP2, Pertamina gave 1.7 million, or Rp25.5 billion. Media monitoring showed that the total value generated from the printed and electronic media was more than twice that figure.

Wianda said she was optimistic this year's revenue would be even greater, given the new international exposure the F1 circuit would create. "My target is to obtain Rp80 billion, which is more than the funds we spent on Rio," added Wianda.

Pertamina will also profit in terms of new market access for its products. The company is currently in talks about arranging a delivery of its lubricants products to be tested by Manor.

Chairman of DPR Commission X Teuku Rifky Harsya has proposed that the ministry of tourism open up some of the Rp2.9 trillion in funds reserved for its 'Wonderful Indonesia' promotion campaign to sponsor Rio.

Deputy for foreign tourism marketing and developmint of the tourism ministry, I Gde Pitana, said his agency should first calculate the benefits. "We have to make sure the people's budget will be effectively utilized, including the extent of exposure and the degree of influence of the promotion," he added.

Amid the uncertainty over the remaining funds to be paid to Manor, one thing is certain; Rio's childhood dream is coming true. He will have his debut as a Formula 1 racer in Grand Prix Melbourne, Australia, at the end of this week.

Gadi Makitan, Rina Widiastuti

Rio Haryanto