LOMBOK, THE NUSANTARA POST- MotoGP teams and riders are interested in the natural beauty of Indonesia and want to take a week’s vacation in Bali or Lombok before having a Grand Prix at the Pertamina Mandalika Circuit in March.
This was conveyed by the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno yesterday while reviewing the readiness of the Pertamina Mandalika Circuit for the MotoGP pre-season test.
Sandiaga received a report from Dorna Sports Managing Director Carlos Ezpeleta, who expressed the MotoGP group’s admiration for the beauty of Mandalika, Lombok.
Marc Marquez and his friends arrived in Lombok earlier this week after completing two days of testing in Sepang.
They also took the time to see the panoramic view of the white sandy beaches along the southern coast of Mandalika.
The Mandalika Circuit itself will be busy with the official MotoGP test event on February 11-13 which will be a crucial moment for teams and riders to determine the direction of their motorcycle development before undergoing the season-opening race in Qatar on March 6.
After Doha, MotoGP will return to Mandalika which will host the second race on the calendar on March 20.
“One word, ‘amazing’,” said Sandiaga as quoted by The Nusantara Post from Antara when asked Ezpeleta’s opinion about the Mandalika Circuit.
“He said that it turns out that Mandalika is not only a new circuit but the most beautiful, he conveyed that all the riders were ‘excited’ and they were also amazed by the beauty of Mandalika, Lombok.
“And there was a suggestion from Carlos himself that for the two-week gap between Qatar and Lombok, one week was spent in Indonesia, both in Lombok and in Bali.
“They are currently submitting a proposal with a gap of one week, between Qatar and Mandalika it is also used for a vacation in Indonesia in preparation,” said Sandiaga.
The admiration of MotoGP riders for Indonesia can be seen from their uploads on social media as revealed by Alex Rins from the Suzuki Ecstar team.
“Enjoying this beautiful country. If the track is as beautiful as the beaches, we will have fun in this test,” wrote the Spaniard who uploaded a photo of himself posing in front of one of the white sandy beaches in Lombok while holding a coconut.
Meanwhile world champion Fabio Quartararo wrote “We love the Indonesian atmosphere,” while posing in the swimming pool.
Then Marc Marquez took the time to climb one of the hills in Mandalika and wrote “falling in love with this place #Indonesia” in his post (Ant/TNP/Wan)
