(Motorsports news) MotoGP returned to Indonesia after 25 years and it certainly did not disappoint. KTM's Miguel Oliveira won a delayed and soaking wet 2022 Indonesian MotoGP at Mandalika, responding perfectly to a late charge by world champion Fabio Quartararo, who started on pole but really couldn’t take advantage in the tough conditions. In Moto 2 Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) became the first Thai rider to win a Grand Prix race. Chantra led from the first corner to the chequered flag and eventually beat World Championship leader Celestino Vietti by 3.2 secs and Aaron Conet. In Moto 3, Dennis Foggia put his Qatar disappointment behind and won the Indonesian Moto3 Grand Prix quite comfortably.
Starting seventh, Oliveira had a brilliant start and wasted no time in passing leaders Quartararo and Jack Miller before easing away in the distance. After struggling early on, pole starter Quartararo finally got the much needed grip in the treacherous conditions and went on the attack, climbing back up to second, even threatening to catch Oliveira. However, the Portuguese saw off the danger and kept his victory margin intact as Johann Zarco completed the podium. It was Oliveira's fourth MotoGP victory but his first podium since Assen 2021. There was plenty of drama in the run-up to the planned start as the rain delayed the start and the race distance being shortened from 27 to 20 laps due to problems with the wet track surface, then Marc Marquez was declared unfit due to a head concussion after his massive crash in the final practice before qualifying, subsequently he’s fine and fit to race in the next Grand Prix.
The riders had experienced damp track conditions on Friday practice and Saturday qualifying, but on Sunday the circuit was flooded. The race eventually started with plumes of spray as the 23 remaining riders charged for turn one, with world champion Quartararo taking an early advantage from Oliveira with Miller climbing to third after a brave start. Quartararo then touched the kerb in the final corner and was passed by both Oliveira and Miller at the start of lap 2, the Australian diving past Oliveira soon after to take the lead.
However, he couldn’t sustain the lead as the tide soon turned in favour of Oliveira. Miller eventually had to settle for fourth ahead of Suzuki riders Alex Rins and Joan Mir, with Franco Morbidelli in seventh. Oliveira's Red Bull KTM team-mate Brad Binder put a pass on younger brother Darryn and finished in eighth but his younger brother really excelled in the tough conditions, as he settled for tenth and best rookie in the race. Yamaha team-mate Andrea Dovizioso had to because of a technical problem. Miller's factory Ducati team-mate and Qatar Grand Prix winner Francesco Bagnaia saved himself from a massive crash but ran off track on his way to 15th place.
Oliveria said "Without this good start the race could have been a bit different for me. I really couldn’t see anything behind the riders. With all the spray and the rain on the visor, it was definitely hard to see the lines and be precise. Also to judge the grip level.
He added "I think by the end of the race I could understand more and how much I could push, but to ride 20 laps in a row in the rain or compared to a practice is quite different. You can explore a bit more the braking points in the practice, or going wide, or cool down the tyres. Fortunately, I made a good start and after that I was following Jack [Miller] a little bit and could understand a bit more. Than it was just about building up the gap and controlling the race. If the race had seven laps more I don’t know (if a win was possible) because Fabio [Quartararo] was coming pretty strong."
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