MotoGP hits Indonesia for Mandalika this weekend

2024 MotoGP World Championship
Round 15 – Mandalika
Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia

A quick turnaround from one side of the world to the other, from Misano to the hotter, more sultry and even more unpredictable conditions of Mandalika, as MotoGP hits Indonesia this weekend for round 15. Immediately following Mandalika, MotoGP has a quick run up to Japan for Motegi on October 6. The paddock then has a weekend off before reconvening for round 17 at Phillip Island on October 20, immediately followed by Thailand on October 27, and then Sepang the next weekend, November 3. Two weeks later, the season wraps up at the Valencia finale on November 17.

Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) now has a 24-point cushion at the top, and that part of the result on Sunday – the positive – may have more time to sink in on the journey to Lombok. He may have lost the race, in a way, he thought was over the line, but his blunder in the flag-to-flag in the previous event has been nearly erased in the standings as reigning Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) made his own error at Misano. It could be a fascinating one at Mandalika, which already has some pivotal history for both etched into its memory: last year, Martin took the points lead on Saturday and then crashed out on Sunday, just as a Bagnaia under pressure made a historic charge to the win from P13 on the grid. The duo will doubtless be protagonists this weekend.

Then there’s Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team). One man’s perpetrator of that “over-the-line” move is another man’s last-lap hero. He’s got less experience at full fitness at Mandalika, so he’ll want to catch up quick, but Misano – even knowing his 100 per cent MotoGP podium record at the venue – again proved that a better qualifying for the ‘Beast’ nearly always guarantees he’ll be a serious threat come Sunday, and/or before.

In the ever-changing scuffle over third overall, meanwhile, Bastianini has pulled back ahead of the man that will replace him in the Ducati squad next year, Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP), but by only a single point. Marquez took another podium to follow up two wins on the bounce with some consistent form, but he’ll want more pure pace this time out rather than a luck of the draw; these will be the first laps of the circuit for Marc on a Ducati.

Meanwhile, the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team duo heads from one home turf to another at Pertamina this weekend – no pressure. Fabio Di Giannantonio remains just ahead in the standings despite his injury struggles, sizeable crash in Emilia-Romagna, and then tyre pressure and Long Lap penalties, so the goal will be clear for him: just a little less drama. Marco Bezzecchi, meanwhile, is closing in and now right behind Diggia as he builds a solid run of speed and results, including a front row for San Marino and a top four in the GP last time out.

Marco Bezzecchi

“I can’t wait to arrive in Indonesia also for the parade on Wednesday. We were guests in Bali this summer and the welcome were simply incredible. It will be special! In addition, with this race, a series of GPs on some of my favourite circuits on the calendar begins. We come from a very solid weekend in Misano, so full gas in this other home GP.”

Fabio Di Giannantonio

“Arriving in Indonesia will be something special, considering that it will be our new home GP! It will be a demanding week, but I am sure the welcome will be truly unique. In Misano, especially in the long race, we have struggled. The crash on Friday complicated everything. Let’s recover energy, get back ay work, try to close the gap and regain confidence in riding. The local fans will certainly be an extra asset.”

Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) had a tougher second outing at Misano – having been right up there first time around and taken his first Sprint podium – so moving back forward will be the aim. Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) will be hoping for more at a fresh track, in his case. After fighting for the podium at Aragon, it didn’t seem to click at Misano – but he will have the added challenge of only having taken part in one session at Mandalika in 2023 as he withdrew to recover from an earlier crash.

At KTM and GASGAS, Misano teased more than it ultimately delivered. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) qualified fourth for Emilia-Romagna and took a solid result in the Sprint, but behind rookie Pedro Acosta at Red Bull GASGAS Tech3. Then on Sunday, both ended up crashing out from pretty solid top fives, if not a chance at better, so they’ll want to try and bounce back. Teammates next year, the two are already playing some cat and mouse in the standings, and in who’s got what once the lights go out. Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) had a tougher time on pace but took points, and now his future is revealed he’ll want to settle into a rhythm to push forward as we head for the flyaways. Augusto Fernandez at Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 is the same for the latter but we await confirmation on the former as rumours continue to hint at a new role with a new factory.

Nicolas Goyon – GASGAS Team Manager

“We are now heading to Indonesia for the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia, the first event of the traditional end-of-season Asian tour. This incredible layout, located in surf paradise Lombok island, is surrounded by the equatorial forest and the Indian ocean. It is a great opportunity to share our passion for motorcycling with Indonesian fans in a typical Asian atmosphere. The last couple of races did not really go to plan, and Pedro Acosta left Misano disappointed. His speed from the weekend was a positive point though. On a layout where all MotoGP riders don’t have that much experience, I am sure that Pedro can fight at the front on a track where he won last season in Moto2, and finally score the points needed for the championship. Augusto Fernandez has partially shown good speed lately, but has failed to demonstrate it in the races. Nevertheless, we are behind him, pushing him, and we want to start overseas with a strong result.”

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For Aprilia, the tougher run continued somewhat last time out, but it was a definite uptick as Maverick Viñales took sixth and teammate Aleix Espargaro eighth. Miguel Oliveira has been in their postcode too, with his Trackhouse Racing team-mate Raul Fernandez now the rider looking to figure out a step forward. Last season Viñales put Aprilia on the podium in second so the Noale factory will hope that previous form has a say in our return in 2024. Oliveira, having taken the first ever MotoGP win at the venue in 2022, will hope the same.

Davido Brivio – Trackhouse Team Principal

“Now we head into Mandalika, the first of many overseas rounds. We know it will be a demanding weekend, not so much grip and the heat will be a factor. So, it will be challenging to race there – but, we will be up for the challenge and continuing our work. Miguel is in good shape, he is riding well and feels comfortable with this bike now and also Raul is looking for further improvement to get back to the shape he had in the middle of the season. Therefore, it’s great to race again immediately after the two Misano rounds and we are looking forward to the first stop of this Asia and Australia tour.”

At Yamaha, there’s been plenty to celebrate for Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) across the two events at Misano as he made it into back-to-back Q2s for the first time this season. He then took two sevenths in the GP races – equalling his and Yamaha’s best result of the season so far from Portugal. Heartbreakingly in Emilia-Romagna though, it was set to be fifth before he seemingly ran out of fuel. That would have also made Yamaha the second factory home on Sunday. He’s the only rider to never been off the podium at Mandalika and took his most recent podium at the venue in 2023. His most recent pole was also here, in 2022.

Team-mate Alex Rins, meanwhile, was sidelined last time out through illness so he’ll want to attack for points as he returns. It will be interesting to watch Yamaha take on a venue with particular conditions and where they’ve not had lots of recent track time – but neither have their rivals. Quartararo’s form of late promises any small weakness from the rest will be exploited.

Massimo Meregalli – Monster Yamaha Team Director

“We have travelled straight from Misano to Mandalika. This week Álex will return to action, so we are back to full force. The Emilia-Romagna weekend was very positive for our team overall. The hard work is paying off, and we want to keep this positive trend going. After riding at Misano for an extensive length of time, we are interested to see how we fare at a completely different track. The team is highly motivated, especially since we want to give the Indonesian fans a good show. Their passion for motorcycle racing is on another level, so the whole team will be working hard.”

Honda also had some key positives from Emilia-Romagna. After both Joan Mir (Repsol Honda Team) and home hero teammate Luca Marini were forced to sit out the San Marino GP, take two was especially notable. Mir took P11, equalling Honda’s best result this season so far taken by Takaaki Nakagami (IDEMITSU Honda LCR) in Aragon, and Marini wasn’t far off him in twelfth. Flashes of progress have shown throughout, with Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) also having taken Honda straight into Q2 not long ago, and they’ll want to double down. Like Yamaha, it will be interesting to see where they shuffle in as track time and experience at the venue drop from testing and two race weekends to a return to Mandalika.

Joan Mir

“It’s a good feeling to get on the plane after a better result, of course there is still work to do to get back to where Honda and I know we should be. But it’s a first step and now we must confirm it as our place in the next races. We’ve found something in the last few months so this is positive. Indonesia is a fantastic country to visit, Lombok an incredible island. You have to battle a lot of things there, the heat and sometimes the rain. Let’s enjoy it.”

Luca Marini

“I am really looking forward to Indonesia, Honda has such an incredible presence there – you see it every time you go. We arrive in a good moment, races where we are improving and making progress and now the bike is in the best position since I started with Honda. I am hungry to get back out and keep working, so having three races in a row is a positive for me. Indonesia is a place I like and I am very excited to see what we can achieve on the RC213V.”

Indonesia’s passion for MotoGP is legendary, and we’ll feel it again as early as Wednesday as many on the grid head to Mataram for a fan parade through the city. Then it’s back in business for another stunning weekend as the title fight teases even more drama on turf that’s hosted plenty of it before.

MotoGP Championship Standings

Moto2

A Moto2 belter played out at the Emilia-Romagna GP as three different riders led on the final lap. The one who was in front when it mattered most was Celestino Vietti (Red Bull KTM Ajo) as the Italian picked Aron Canet’s Fantic Racing-shaped pocket by 0.027s, as we saw Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) throw away a golden victory ticket after a mistake at Turn 14.

The trio treated us to a phenomenal battle, and it was a pair of results that kept Vietti and Canet in with an outside shout at still challenging for the title. For Arbolino, that’s three podiums in the last three races as the 2023 runner-up finds form heading into the closing stages of the campaign.

Senna Agius was back inside the top ten last time out at Misano, seventh in fact, and will be looking to improve on that further at Mandalika.

Touching back on the Championship, following a P4 at Misano, Ai Ogura (MT Helmets – MSI) has taken charge of the 2024 chase. 22 points is the gap the Japanese rider holds heading to Indonesia after teammate Sergio Garcia crashed, while his three other closest pre-race rivals – Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing), Alonso Lopez (MB Conveyors SpeedUp) and Jake Dixon (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) – all failed to beat Ogura. In Dixon’s case, he too suffered a DNF – his first non-score since the French GP.

Moto2 Championship Standings

Moto3

After going two races without standing on the podium, David Alonso (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) returned to the top step at the Emilia-Romagna GP to win for the eighth time in 2024. The gap at the top heading to Lombok? A whopping 82 points. Positions in the Championship don’t get much stronger with six rounds to go, so it’s now or never for the chasers at the circuit Alonso finished P2 at in 2023.

David Alonso

“A different part of the World Championship is beginning, which is full of challenges. On the overseas races, we know that anything can happen. These races test you mentally, it is not just about going fast, it is much more: the schedules, the meals… To fight for the World Championship there is a new experience, I will have to pay a lot of attention to the team and the people who have been through this situation before, like Nico Terol or Jorge Martínez “Aspar”. You have to listen to the experienced ones because I am still very young and, sometimes, I make decisions believing that they are the right ones, but that is not the case. It is more important to know how to compete than to just go fast.”

The first of those hunters is Daniel Holgado (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3), who will be hungry for a rostrum return after track limits caught the Spaniard out on the last lap. It was a small error that cost Holgado a podium – and promoted Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) to P3 behind the incredibly impressive rookie, Angel Piqueras (Leopard Racing).

The Dutch star is just one point further back in the overall standings after picking up his seventh podium of the season, but for Holgado, Veijer and fifth-place Emilia-Romagna GP finisher Ivan Ortola (MT Helmets – MSI), it’s all about taking as many points off Alonso as possible before it’s too late.

Joel Kelso was seventh at Misano, which moved him past Fernandez in the championship chase and boosted his point tally to 102.  While the top four in the championship have a hefty advantage, a stellar end run to the season could see Joel challenge for fifth, if the cards fall his way.

Countryman Jacob Roulstone had a weekend to forget in Italy and will be looking to reset and bounce back towards the top ten this weekend in Indonesia.

Moto3 Championship Standings