Returning to Indonesia after more than two decades of absence, the 20th round of MotoGP 2022 in Mandalika, Indonesia took place with drama, blood and rain. Finishing off the MotoGP in a short rain, Miguel Oliviera of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing took the top spot to win the Indonesian inaugural Pertamina Grand Prix.
Following Oliviera was Monster Energy Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo while fellow Frenchman Johann Zarco of Pramac Ducati finished third in the very steamy MotoGP race. The race distances for the Moto2 and MotoGP races at Mandalika were shortened due to impending rain, and just before MotoGP started, the rain poured down, causing an hour delay.
This caused the circuit management Mandalika to come up with pawang, performing rituals on the pit road to drive away crowds, attracting the attention of MotoGP delegations. Finally, when the rain stopped but the track conditions were wet with some mud, the race started with Oliviera winning the pitch and leading the team to the finish line.
Quartararo, who started from the pole, was soon pushed back by Jack Miller of Ducati Lenovo and Jorge Martin of Pramac Ducati. However, the wet conditions, which made the white paint at the edges of the runway slippery, made Martin squeal, while several other riders also had moments of staggering.
Shortly after the midway point of the 20 lap race, Quartararo found his stride and darted straight through the herd, sending Zarco into second place. With Zarco in third place, the frustrated Miller had to finish fourth while the Suzukis of Aleix Rins – whose race bike caught fire during freestyle practice – and Joan Mir, despite showing strong from the start, had to place fifth and sixth respectively.
Mir, who started the race in 18th place, did well to battle seventh finisher Franco Morbidelli, who received a three-round penalty for “irresponsible riding” during the start of practice. in free practice on Friday. Red Bull KTM Factory’s Brad Binder, Darryn’s brother, finished eighth ahead of Aprilia Racing’s Alex Espargaro.
The surprise of the day was that rookie Darryn Binder of WithU RNF Racing (Former Petronas Sepang Racing Team) broke into the top 10, giving Datuk Razlan Razali’s fledgling team their best showing so far this year. Repsol Honda Racing’s Marc Marquez, who returned to action after two seasons with an injury, failed to start the race due to suffering an overwhelming high during qualifying on his Honda RC213-V.
The world championship standings after two races have Gresini Ducati Racing’s Enea Bastianini at the top with 30 points, followed by Red Bull KTM’s Brad Binder in second with 28 points and Quartararo with 27. This season No rider has yet marked their supremacy. race procedure, with only 10 points difference from the top nine drivers.
