It is no stranger that MotoGP is the most prestigious race event in the world of motor sport. The Motorcycle Grand Prix (or also the Motorcycle GP) is a series of premier class motorcycle racing championships held on street circuits approved and regulated by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme founded as the parent organization of the world’s motor racing organization in 1949 provided the opportunity to coordinate rules and regulations so that the event was selected as an official World Championship. Currently the Motorcycle Grand Prix is divided into four classes: MotoGP, Moto2, Moto3 and MotoE. The highest class is MotoGP since 2002 when the era of four-stroke engines began to develop. Previously, the highest class was 500 cc, both of which became historical successors as official World Championships. In Grand Prix history, the most successful champion is Italian Giacomo Agostini with 15 titles and 122 race wins. In his highest series, Agostini won a record eight titles, following active riders Valentino Rossi with seven titles and Marc Marquez with six titles. As of 2019, Rossi won 89 race wins in his highest class.
For the second time, Indonesia has hosted the MotoGP race. In the first year, the MotoGP was held at the Sentul Circuit, West Java and this year it was held at the Mandalika Circuit, West Nusa Tenggara on 18-20 March 2022. The Mandalika International Circuit (officially named Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit) is a racing circuit located in the Mandalika Special Economic Zone (KEK Mandalika) in Kuta Village, Pujut District, Central Lombok Regency, West Nusa Tenggara. This circuit has a track length of 4.31 km with 17 bends with a capacity of 50,000 seats on the grandstand and a total of 195,700 people. Mandalika uses Stone Mastic Asphalt (SMA) type asphalt which is rougher and is expected to strengthen the grip of the tires. In February 2019, ITDC President Director Abdulbar M. Mansoer confirmed that this Circuit will hold MotoGP for 3 seasons, from the 2021 to 2023 season. However, MotoGP will not be held in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and has been postponed until 2022. Before starting the match, MotoGP racers parade in Jakarta-Indonesia from the Merdeka Palace to the HI Roundabout. This parade of MotoGP racers received a great response from many Jakarta residents.
A total of 12 MotoGP teams will bring two riders each to the Mandalika Circuit. There are several Italian racers participating in this MotoGP event, including Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati), Enea Bastianini (Gresini), Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini), Luca Marini (Moony VR46), Marco Bezzecchi (Moony VR46), Franco Morbidelli ( Yamaha), and Andrea Dovizioso (Petronas Yamaha). Luca Marini had become the fastest racer at the Mandalika MotoGP test last February. Marini explained that the Mandalika circuit has a special and fast track. Meanwhile, Enea Bastianini, who is the winner of the Qatar 2022 MotoGP, attended the official MotoGP press conference session along with four other racers, namely Brad Binder, Pol Espargoro, Marc Marquez and Fabio Quartararo. Until now, all MotoGP racers are declared fit and confirmed to appear at the Mandalika Circuit.
After undergoing the inaugural MotoGP Qatar 2022 series, the racers were very enthusiastic about undergoing the second session at Mandalika Indonesia. This can be seen from several posts on their social media, the racers posted several times to show their love for Indonesia. As uploaded on the Instagram racer Mooney VR46 (@vr46racingteam), Marco Bezzecchi looks fun playing mini games, which shows Indonesian icons through videos. (Photo: Instagram/@vr46racingteam)
Bezzecchi shows photos that are characteristic of Indonesia, including photos of the red and white flag, photos of the city of Jakarta, typical Indonesian sports, namely pencak silat, volcanoes, and Indonesian specialties of fried rice. In addition, the MotoGP racers also stated that the Mandalika Circuit was clean and much better when compared to the Mandalika MotoGP test, last February. They really appreciate the efforts and hard work of the organizers and the Indonesian government.
