MotoGP in Indonesia: with the change of season, will the weather change too?

10/11/2023

 After a good response from the general public last year with over 102,000 spectators over the weekend despite the rain that fell on the Sunday, MotoGP returns to the Mandalika International Street Circuit.

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After a good response from the general public last year with over 102,000 spectators over the weekend despite the rain that fell on the Sunday, MotoGP returns to the Mandalika International Street Circuit. According to the Brembo technicians who work closely with all 22 riders in the premium class, it is rated as a circuit of medium difficulty on the brakes. On a scale of 1 to 5, it earned a 3 on the difficulty index.

Last year the race was held on 20 March and due to a downpour and lightning over the circuit, the start was postponed by 1 hour 15 minutes. The race was held in the rain and the temperature of the asphalt was just 28°C so that the best lap was 7.7 seconds faster than the pole position time, but the Brembo carbon fiber discs were impeccable.



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Brembo and Aprilia, a winning combination

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The first two editions of the Indonesian GP, in 1996 and 1997, were held in Sentul: Aprilia won the two 125 races, the first with Masaki Tokudome and the second with Valentino Rossi. Both motorcycles had Brembo brake systems even if the calipers were still axial ones because radial calipers were invented - and this has to be said - by Brembo in 1998 and the first motorcycle to use them was the Aprilia 250.

The close links between Aprilia racing bikes and Brembo dates back to 1985 when Loris Reggiani rode the AF1 250 powered by a Rotax engine with rotary disc valve. Two years later, the rider from Forlì gave Aprilia its first win in the World Championship. Since then, the number of Aprilia wins in 125, 250 and MotoGP has continued to increase and has reached 300 with one common denominator, Brembo brake components.

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Fourteen less than India

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On the 8 turns on the Mandalika International Street Circuit, the MotoGP riders use their brakes for a total of 27 seconds per lap, 11 seconds less than the Japanese GP and 14 less than the Indian GP. That’s not all - in Indonesia the brakes are used for at least 3 seconds on only 3 braking points.

From turn 3 to turn 9, the MotoGP riders only use their brakes on turn 6 for just 1.5 seconds demonstrating the lack of big braking moments in this section. Loads on the brake lever are also in the norm and never exceed 5.5 kg (12.1 lb). From start to finish, each rider exerts a force on the brake lever of under 700 kilos (1543 lb).

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Deceleration of 1.8 G

Of the 8 braking moments on the Mandalika International Street Circuit, only one is considered demanding on the brakes, one is of medium difficulty, and the remaining 6 are light.

The braking moment on the first corner is the hardest in the Grand Prix: the MotoGPs come on to it at 303 km/h (188 mph) and slow down to 106 km/h (65.8 mph) with a load on the brake lever of 5.5 kg (12.1 lb). To set up the turn, the riders brake for 4.4 seconds covering a distance of 228 meters (91.8 feet) with 1.8 G deceleration.

 

And in the video games?


To tackle the first corner of the Indonesian GP in the MotoGP video game in the best possible way, don’t forget to keep an eye on the weather.

All these recommendations will not be very helpful if the track is wet. As you gradually advance on the straight, move to the left and start using the brakes just before the pit wall comes to an end.

Downshift 4 gears and lean into the turn as close as possible to the curb to avoid any attacks from behind.