ITDC: MotoGP at Mandalika Circuit to Run as Scheduled

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesia Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) President Director Abdulbar M. Mansoer ensured that the 2022 MotoGP at the Mandalika Circuit will run as scheduled. He dismissed all criticism surrounding the circuit's unpreparedness for the inaugural Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia.

“MotoGP at the Mandalika Circuit will continue as scheduled on March 18-20, 2022. The show must go on,” said Abdulbar in a virtual press conference on Wednesday, Feb. 16.

A number of criticisms were directed at the circuit located in Lombok of West Nusa Tenggara after the riders and teams completed the three-day of pre-season testing on February 11-13. The cleanliness of the track surface and the excess of aggregate affecting parts of the circuit were the two areas of improvement for the safety of the riders. 

The resurfacing of the race track was said to be one of the solutions. However, due to the tight schedule, rumors rose that there were requests to postpone the Indonesian series until the end of 2022 or 2023. Yet the rumors were dismissed.

Abdulbar asserted that the resurfacing of the track was set to be carried out.

The main director of the state-owned construction firm PT PP for Mandalika Circuit, Novel Arsyad, targeted to complete the recommendation from Dorna and FIM on March 10. “We’ll complete it no later than March 10, 2022,” said Novel.

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ARKHELAUS WISNU TRIYOGO