MotoGP machines visited the all-new Mandalika International Street Circuit, February 11-13, ahead of the first Indonesia Grand Prix in 25 years, set to be held next month.
Less than a week on from a two-day outing in Sepang, where just 0.3s covered the top eleven riders, it was even closer in Indonesia, with 21 of the grid’s 24 names kept apart by just 0.85s. Here Pol Espargaro showed he could well be a victory contender on the all-new Honda RC213V, as he led the way from reigning champion Fabio Quartararo and Luca Marini.
Testing conditions were far from ideal with the state of the filthy Mandalika track surface a concern. Not only was testing red flagged on day one due to the condition of the tarmac; riders were then required to run together for a set number of laps minutes in order to clear dried mud, left by rain and local construction work. For the remainder of the test riders went off line at their peril, with a number of fast crashes following, including a 120mph spill for rookie Raul Fernandez on day two.
In spite of the conditions, many factories were able to continue the good work started the previous week at Sepang. Chief among them was Honda, who showed ominous pace with the ’22 RC213V. “The bike is working well and we had no crashes. So the bike is safer than ever,” said Indonesian pace setter Espargaro. What’s more, all four Honda riders are riding the same package and working in a similar direction – a far cry from the disastrous first half of last year.
On paper at least, Yamaha is operating at the same level shown last year. Quartararo was second fastest and consist (posting 32 laps under 1m 33s). And if France’s first ever premier class champion is to be believed, he’s riding better than ever. Yet there is the impression the M1 has hit its ceiling. “When you start to feel the front moving everywhere, the rear is spinning, you’re touching the elbow everywhere, it’s difficult to find more,” he said. The situation led to the 22-year old claiming his future is still open despite Yamaha’s attempts to tie him down to a contract for 2023.
The Ducati GP22 is still getting up to speed. As it features a new engine with added horsepower and a revised aerodynamics package, that “is making the bike completely different” according to Jorge Martin, there is the feeling they are still playing catch up. “Are we ready? No, but when are we ever ready? I feel as ready as we can be,” said Jack Miller.
Suzuki and Aprilia head to Qatar in a confident frame of mind. Alex Rins was seventh for Suzuki with Joan Mir—absent on the final day due to food poisoning—twelfth. Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro confirmed the ’22 Aprilia RS-GP’s improvements and sweet handling with the fourth-fastest time.
Even KTM’s factory boys—well off the pace in Malaysia—were upbeat. Despite modest times, Brad Binder believes he can extract more from a new tire in qualifying trim than a year ago while managing tire life is still one of the bike’s strengths. “How I’m feeling now compared to how I felt going into Qatar last year this is ten times better,” he said.
2022 Indonesia MotoGP Test Results
- Pol Espargaro (Hon) 1:31.060
- Fabio Quartararo (Yam) 0.014
- Aleix Espargaro (Apr) 0.325
- Franco Morbidelli (Yam) 0.356
- Francesco Bagnaia (Duc) 0.376
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