There is always a new MotoGP champion on the Mandalika circuit

The roar of MotoGP riders' motorcycle engines with a power of 130 decibels broke the silence in the hills around Mandalika Creative Economic Zone (KEK), Central Lombok Regency, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB). The sound equivalent to an airplane's jet engine as it was about to take off was immediately heard when the start light turned green, giving the 21 MotoGP racing motorcycles felt like they were about to fly off the runway.

Jorge Martin, Franco Morbidelli, Marco Bezzecchi, Pedro Acosta and 18 other MotoGP riders immediately left the finish line. to start devouring a straight track for 700 meters before turning at the first corner and disappearing from view. What was heard next was only the roar of the powerful 1000cc 4-cylinder engines capable of producing superpower, propelling this iron horse to maximum speed (maximum speed) reached an average of 366 kilometers per hour.

The roar of the powerful engines seemed to arouse public admiration for the ingenuity of the mechanics of each team. It's no wonder that when you watch a MotoGP race on screen, you sometimes see varied faces in each team's garage (paddock) race. There are those who are stunned and silent while staring at the screen, there are those who display a tense expression, and many also choose to fight with various spare parts if a rider's motorcycle has to enter the paddock to be repaired.

The tens of thousands of noisy spectators supporting each idol rider with various attributes such as flags, posters with riders' faces or others are also one of the features of MotoGP races, including in Mandalika. This enthusiasm has always been present throughout the year since the first edition of this motorcycle racing competition in 1949. Hundreds of crews and riders always change countries within a year following the prepared calendar. by the International Motor Sport Federation (FIM).

In 2024, MotoGP will take place for the third time at Indonesia's proud racing arena, the Jalan Raya Mandalika International Circuit. More than 60 riders from the three classes that compete in MotoGP, such as Moto3, Moto2 and MotoGP, competed quickly on the 4.31 kilometer track with 17 turns. This is the third international car racing circuit that Indonesia has ever had after Ancol Circuit, Jakarta and Sentul, Bogor Regency, West Java.

Look different

During the first edition of Mandalika MotoGP, on March 20, 2022, marked by very heavy rain and lightning, the Portuguese champion Miguel Oliveira raced at the top of the classification (grid) seventh, became champion. The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team stalwart recorded the fastest time of 33 minutes 27.223 seconds after completing 20 laps (knees). It was the fourth victory of his career as rider MotoGP.

The next season, which will be held on October 15, 2023, will be the turn of Italian driver Francesco Bagnaia to appear at the forefront. finishing. The 2022 MotoGP world champion clocked 41 minutes 20.293 seconds and took the championship podium for the 17th time in his MotoGP career. Meanwhile, no Sprint which will begin to be contested from the 2023 racing season, the Spanish driver Jorge Martin became champion.

Then, during the MotoGP Mandalika Series celebration held on Sunday (29/9/2024), it was Martin's turn to dominate the championship podium. The mainstay of the Prima Pramac team was the fastest with a time of 41 minutes 4.389 seconds. Bagnaia himself failed to repeat the success of the previous season and could only finishing in third place.

The results obtained in Mandalika heated up the competition for the ranking of the best drivers. Martin, who won 25 points as the 2024 Mandalika Series champion, topped the list with 366 points. That is 21 points apart from Bagnaia, who is in second place in the MotoGP riders' standings.

“Today's win is extraordinary. I look forward to continuing this positive result into the next series and ensuring I return here next season,” Martin said.

Meanwhile, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), who attended the race, confirmed that the MotoGP event would still be present in 2025. He said that the preparations for the Indonesian MotoGP event were quite good, because of Many improvements had been made and various facilities had been equipped. “Next year's MotoGP will continue. This year's MotoGP will be a success,” President Jokowi said.

He admitted that Dorna Sports, as the promoter of MotoGP, was happy because Indonesia always looked different as it presented various cultural attractions to all teams and spectators before the start of the race. President Jokowi also admitted that there are still many things to improve for the next season to be better. See you for the 2025 MotoGP season on the circuit that is the pride of the Indonesian nation!

Author: Anton Setiawan
Editor: Ratna Nuraini/TR