Mandalika circuit fun highlights includes its successful effort hosted one of the biggest event in the world, the MotoGP event In March 2022.
Yes, Indonesia has pride with their new international circuit, named the the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit.
The location of the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit or known as Mandalika Circuit is in the Mandalika tourist area on the island of Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara. Previously, this magnificent circuit has become host to some world-class events such as the Asia Talent Cup and the Superbike World Championship. And now, Mandalika Circuit has been included in the MotoGP calendar in 2022 and have hosted the 2nd race series on March 20, 2022.
The presence of this circuit makes Indonesia proud because it has high-quality asphalt facilities and technology so that it can compete with other world-class circuits. The Mandalika circuit has become a topic of discussion because it has several advantages over other circuits. In fact, the public compared the Mandalika Circuit with the Sepang Circuit in Malaysia. This is quite reasonable, because before the Mandalika Circuit existed, Indonesian people often came to the Sepang Circuit, Malaysia to watch MotoGP. However, conditions will change because MotoGP lovers in the country can witness the race in their own country.
So, which one is better between the Mandalika Circuit and the Sepang Circuit?
Here are some differences between the two, and also fascinating facts about Mandalika Circuit, if you are interested in watching the next MotoGP event and plan to visit Lombok, especially those related to the design of the Mandalika Circuit.
- Located in one of Indonesia’s five Super Priority Destinations
As we all know by the name, the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit is located in the Mandalika tourist area on Lombok Island – West Nusa Tenggara which has been declared by the government as one of the five priority destinations besides Lake Toba in North Sumatra Bajo on Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara. There is no doubt that as a destination, Mandalika has an amazing natural beauty. Imagine a view of the south coast with white sand and beautiful green hills in the background, that is what you will get when visiting Mandalika. No wonder this place has become one of the favorite place for many surfers around the world (besides Bali, off course), before it was finally built into a tourism area with many attractions, such as luxury resorts, hotels and a family-friendly waterpark. If you plan to visit the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit, don’t miss it to enjoy the beauty of the Mandalika tourism area.
- Developed with original Indonesian products
The Director of Strategy and Communication of the Mandalika Grand Prix Association (MGPA), Happy Harinto, stated that the construction of the Pit Building facility at the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit was made from locally produced materials, namely the modular construction method from PT Wijaya Karya Building (PT WIKA). Built in 21 days, the Pit Building facility for the international circuit also received an appreciation from the Indonesian Record Museum (MURI) for the fastest international standard Pit Building facility construction with a modular system. The 350 sqm Pit Building with a capacity of 50 garages was built with a modular system consisting of three floors where the ground floor functions as a garage used by a team of technicians. Each garage is 5.24 meters wide by 18.34 meters long and is built on an area of 13,700 square meters. The second floor is the podium area, the stands for VVIP, and also the Media Center and on the third floor there are other supporting facilities.
- Different concept; the street circuit
If you have ever heard, the international name of the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit is Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit, which means that this circuit implements the street circuit concept. What does it mean?
Technically, the term street circuit refers to a larger racing function. Simply put, if there is no race, the circuit can also function as a tourist attraction. Therefore, people can use the area around the main route for recreational activities such as running, jogging, or simply enjoying the stunning scenery. However, the main line remains limited to the general public. This means that if you visit Lombok for a relaxing holiday, you can still visit the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit to see the splendor of the circuit design and walk around when there is no racing. Sounds fun, right?
- The construction time
Sepang International Circuit was started from 1997 to 1999. It is located near Putrajaya which is the newly established administrative capital of the country. This circuit was designed by German designer Hermann Tilke and inaugurated by the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia Mahathir Mohamad on March 9, 1999. Meanwhile, the Mandalika Circuit is a younger construction area because it was only inaugurated by President Jokowi, Friday (12/11/2021). The circuit in Lombok is the work of an architectural firm from the United States, Popuolus. This company has experience designing various well-known sports venues such as Wembley Stadium.
- Circuit with the best asphalt in the world
In order to meet the requirements for world-class competitions such as MotoGP, Indonesia Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) as part of the construction of the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit used Stone Mastic Asphalt (SMA) to polish the third layer of the track construction. Stone Mastic Asphalt (SMA) is a sophisticated mixture commonly used to coat asphalt surfaces. This mixture is claimed to strengthen the structure of the road surface layer with the principle of stone-by-stone contact. According to MGPA Construction Director, SMA has a high penetration grade (PG), namely PG 82.
This mixture was only released in 2014-2015. Therefore not all circuits in the world use this mixture to coat their asphalt. Some of the world’s circuits that use asphalt include the Silverstone Circuit in the UK, the Dubai Circuit in the UAE and the Phillip Island Circuit in Australia.
So, technically, the asphalt of the Mandalika Circuit is said to be much better than what is in the Sepang Circuit because it uses the latest asphalt technology. The particles from this SMA are neither too dense nor too sparse so that the surface is very flat. Therefore, even though it has been around for more than five years, no need to re-coating.
Meanwhile, the asphalt at the Sepang Circuit is made using a specially formulated asphalt compound so that the track is smooth and not rough. This makes the track adaptable to the Malaysian climate and can be used all year round. Meanwhile, fine river stone is used for the gravel layer along the track.
- Nice touch of the archipelago theme on the track
As an international standard circuit, MGPA also includes local accents on the surface of the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit, namely the Subahnale pattern, which is a weaving pattern originating from the Sasak tribe on the island of Lombok. This pattern can be found in the run-off area or the outer asphalt of the 15th and 16th corners of the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit. If the name sounds familiar to Muslim Friends, it is because Subahnale in the Sasak language means prayer beads or purification. The Sasak people believe that this name comes from the habit of local Sasak women who always say the word tasbih when weaving with this pattern. The Subahnale woven fabric has a high level of complexity and is made manually using traditional looms. The ingredients come from plants such as lime betel, indigo leaves, taum leaves, tree roots, twigs, coconut fiber, and many others. The manufacturing process can take a relatively long time, but the result is guaranteed to provide an extraordinary work of art.
- Natural scenery
One of the features of the Mandalika Circuit apart from Sepang is the beautiful scenery surrounding the race track. You could say heaven for world racers. Moreover, the area is also very pleasing to the eyes for racers and spectators who are in that location. The Mandalika Circuit is located within The Mandalika area which is a world-class tourism destination and close to the beach area. In fact, at every bend in the Mandalika Circuit, there is a natural view of Mandalika, namely the landscape of the beach and beautiful hills. Meanwhile, the Sepang Circuit is built on a former oil palm plantation and is located close to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. To maintain its greenery, more than 5,000 palm trees are planted around the circuit. The number of trees planted continues to increase to beautify the location around the circuit..
Fascinating scenery of Lombok’s nature gives high value to mandalika circuit, click and read https://unicare-clinic.com/the-mandalika-circuit-lomboks-newest-main-attraction/
With the held international-scale motorcycle racing event, MotoGP Mandalika, it is like a breath of fresh air for the tourism industry on the island of Lombok. However, to develop tourism in the future, ecotourism experts remind the government to involve local communities. The NTB Tourism Office said it would prepare regulations so that MSMEs (Medium, Small, and Micro) in NTB could continue to exist and synergize with large companies.
The first Mandalika MotoGP event, or officially named Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia, is hoped that local tourism actors can have a long-term impact on them, even when the race is not taking place in Indonesia. The Mandalika MotoGP will become an annual routine because Dorna Sports, the promoter of MotoGP, has provided a 10-year contract. Therefore, it is suggested that in the development of tourism, the involvement of local communities is considered important in order to create sustainable tourism.
It is said that several events have been included in the NTB event calendar, one of which is the Motor Cross Grand Prix which will be held in June. Even there will be car events that will compete there and maybe on the sidelines people can use it to travel and organize events in the circuit area so that the circuit will continue to live.
Right, so after you read all of this, are you interested in going to visit Mandalika and see the splendor of this international circuit in front of your eyes? As usual, we would like to remind you all, to always comply with health protocols and carry out good habits during the pandemic such as wearing masks, washing hands, and keeping a distance from others in public places.
