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The second annual Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia 2023, held at the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit near Kuta in Central Lombok, from 13 to 15 October 2023 exceeded all expectations, according to race organisers.
The 4.3km long Mandalika International Street Circuit opened in late 2021, hosting rounds of the Asia Talent Cup and Superbike World Championship. Lombok then hosted the inaugural Mandalika MotoGP, as it is commonly known, in March 2022.
Despite being just 1.5 years old, the Mandalika Circuit earned accolades this year from riders and FIM (Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme), saying the circuit’s quality stood among the best in the MotoGP series, making it a point of pride for all involved.
MotoGP organisers have knick-named the event “MotoGP in Paradise”.
Indonesia Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) announced that the implementation of this world-class event was successful and had even exceeded the targets that had been set, stating that the MotoGP event’s contribution to the national economy is set to surpass last year’s figures, which exceeded IDR 4.5 trillion.
This year’s event was successful in attracting 103,000 spectator visits, far above the target of 80,000 visits.
Analytics show that the MotoGP event at Mandalika was watched live in 200 countries with verified viewers reaching almost 500 million people.
This is a huge success for a race that many doubted would ever come to Lombok. The inaugural MotoGP in 2022 was plagued with problems including the track surface having to be re-laid after the asphalt started to break up due to heavy rains, which also affected the races.
This year, the event was without any major problems and even the traffic flow, which was also a problem last year, was handled smoothly.
President Director of PT MGPA Nusantara Jaya (MGPA), Priandhi Satria said it was an honour for Indonesia to successfully hold a MotoGP event again at the Mandalika Circuit.
According to him, this is proof to the world that Indonesia is capable of successfully presenting a MotoGP class event and is momentum for his organisation to prepare better for next year’s MotoGP, provisionally set to be held from 27 to 29 September 2024.
The success of the MotoGP in Lombok is not only measured by the racing aspect and contribution to the national economy but, equally importantly, by its contribution to Lombok and the growth of our local tourism industry.
Thousands of local workers are employed at the circuit, both during the races and events held there and also in maintaining the condition of the track and infrastructure between events.
The knock-on effect is huge – from hotel operators and tour agencies, to taxi drivers to suppliers of good and services – all benefit from the events held at the circuit.
The value in the exposure of Lombok to a global audience is immeasurable.
An important aspect of this year’s MotoGP was the reaction of the local community and spectators to the event and the amount of interaction between local people and the riders.
Unlike at usual MotoGP events in other countries, racers took the time to go out meet the people – much to the delight of race fans – signing autographs and even hugging each other. There was an obvious warmth and shared excitement between racers and the crowd, who joined together for traditional dances and entertainment, as well as beach clean-up and tree planting activities.
The Mandalika Circuit is set alongside gorgeous Kuta Beach and offers captivating views of the southern coastline. Spectators and racers alike raved about the beauty of the setting, with many taking to social media to share photos of the area and the beautiful resorts where they were staying.
All in all, very good news for Lombok and a positive outlook for the MotoGP next year!
