Open-wheel racers Ananda Mikola and Moreno Suprapto will run as legislative candidates for the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra), the party's chief patron said on Friday.

"They have spent most of their lives fighting for the good name of the nation. They are very patriotic," Gerindra chief Patron Prabowo Subianto said during a news conference announcing the racers' candidacy.

Prabowo said his party was open to young people who want to work for their country. "Gerindra is a party for successors. We are only paving the way for them."

Gerindra has placed ads in various media outlets calling for applications from aspiring legislators at local and national levels.

Previously, soap opera actor Irwansyah and prominent Betawi figure Biem Benyamin had also announced their plan to join Gerindra to run as legislative candidates.