WorldSBK riders praise Mandalika layout, grip in the wet was ‘unbelievable’

Despite being challenged by extreme weather throughout the weekend, the all-new Mandalika circuit drew high praise from several WorldSBK riders for it’s grip in the wet.

Last Saturday’s race one was initially set to take place at 15:00pm local time - 07:00 am UK time, however, extreme rain and thunderstorms shortly before lights out resulted in race one being postponed until Sunday.

Once Sunday came around, races one and two suffered further delays due to more rain, but this time both went ahead, despite significant water being on track in the case of race two especially. 

Even so, riders headed out on-track and completed a reduced 12 lap race two, which led to several riders praising the grip and overall track in the aftermath of the weekend. 

Lap times during the race were only ten seconds off 2021 world champion Toprak Razgatlioglu’s pole time, while just under nine seconds slower than the best dry race run pace.

The riders who shared their thoughts about the Indonesian circuit included winner of both races Jonathan Rea, Scott Redding, Michael Van Der Mark and Alvaro Bautista. 

For the most part it was high praise regarding the overall track and grip in the wet, however, drainage is also something that was also brought up as needing to be improved upon going forward. 

Starting with Rea, the 2021 title runner-up said: "Honestly, it's one of the most grippy circuits in the wet. The grip is maybe one of the best in the world. 

"Just the problem was that some of the drainage off circuit in the runoff areas was quite deep. 

"So, I hope they can address that or maybe make an adjustment of the timetable, because if we did a race at two o'clock, we wouldn't face these conditions. It seems like three o'clock we have a huge downpour this time of the year. 

"But they've done an incredible job. I've seen pictures of this track four weeks ago and it wasn't ready and now they're ready and they pulled off a world-class event. 

"So congratulations to all the team here at the circuit, all the organizers, and it's been a really nice experience."

Redding: "So much grip in the rain. It was unbelievable. The track had a lot of grip and it made it quite fun. It was interesting because you're not just sliding everywhere. 

"You can actually push a little bit the same as in the dry. The standing water was a bit of a problem which is why the race was delayed for so long. And you know, I think the track was very rushed to make it in time. 

"I said it was unbelievable that all the people here work day and night to make this happen and I'm very grateful for it but when you rush sometimes you forget or mistakes happen. 

"It's normal. And for sure you don't expect rain, you know not this heavy rain. So the drainage is one thing that needs to be improved. 

"But you know, we learned it was the first time here and six months ago there was nothing so I really appreciate all the work from everybody that helped with this circuit in such a short time."

Van Der Mark: "This track in wet conditions, with slicks like this morning, already has so much grip and it’s incredible. So when the track is really wet for race two, I knew it was gonna be fun, we have a lot of confidence. 

"And I think that’s what we show, we have some really good battles on the track, and that’s only possible when the grid is there in the wet condition. 

"Some places looked like we had a lot of standing water, but even in these places, the grip was normal. 

"So yeah, this shows that the track can handle a lot of water. Okay, they delayed the first start, which is totally understandable, because there was just too much rain falling. 

"We could see that it was quite good though and we were able to race quite after that."

Bautista: "I'm really happy also with the layout of the track because it’s really enjoyable so yeah I look forward to this race to be on the calendar the next few years. 

"For me the track has to improve the drainage because especially in some places the water stamp on the asphalt. 

"It's true that here normally when it's raining, the rain is really heavy and in a short time. 

"You have to be more prepared for a situation but I think this happens here like everywhere. 

"Also if you go to the track and it rains like this in such a short time it can happen the same so I think it's not 100% a problem from the track, instead it's all together."

Next up for the Mandalika circuit will be MotoGP who have a 2022 pre-season test in February before it’s Grand Prix debut on March 18-20.