Mandalika made its debut in the MotoGP World Championship just last year, marking the return of the Indonesian GP after more than two decades. That’s why Miguel Oliveira only competed once in that country.
And last year he immediately built good memories. At the time it was the second round of the season and, serving the Red Bull KTM team, he started by qualifying in seventh. A grid position that gave him good prospects for the race… which only improved.
Heavy rain forced a delay in the start of the race in Mandalika last year, but when the race began the rainy conditions and wet track persisted. Oliveira took advantage of the scenario and quickly moved up to the front positions. From the fifth lap onwards, only the Portuguese rider led, eventually winning with a 2.205s margin over Fabio Quartararo.
Now, Oliveira returns to Mandalika with the natural intention of returning to good results. In Japan, the man from CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team had to go to the pits due to problems with the helmet even before the red flag. Otherwise, he could have been among the top five after being in the fight for the podium.
