Miguel Oliveira, winner of the wet inaugural Mandalika MotoGP for KTM last season, returns with RNF Aprilia for the 2023 event.
Oliveira rose from seventh on the grid to lead by the end of the opening lap and, after a brief tussle with Jack Miller, kept control to the chequered flag for the fourth victory of his MotoGP career.
The Portuguese added another wet win late in the season in Buriram.
After fighting for a debut Aprilia podium in the dry at Silverstone and Catalunya, Oliveira was again a rostrum contender in the recent Motegi rain, until visibility issues with his dry helmet set-up forced him to retire.
Now he will try again at Mandalika, which has been resurfaced since last season.
“The Indonesian Grand Prix brings back a lot of good memories for me. I won the race last year and that just gives me motivation to face the event this year,” Oliveira said.
“We [are starting] the first round of three races in a row and it is important to return to our usual form, especially in Qualifying. I’m confident and looking forward to getting back on track.”
Team boss Razlan Razali added: “We know that Miguel did well in tricky conditions in 2022. We wish for dry weather, but in case it rains, we are hopeful that Miguel can repeat doing the best on this track.”
Also in a confident mood is team-mate Raul Fernandez, who has hit his stride with the RS-GP since Catalunya and, after top tens in the past three rounds, now has his sights set on threatening the top five.
“I think Mandalika will be a good track for us. I am very enthusiastic to go there because the last rounds have been very good for us,” Fernandez said. “This weekend, I want to keep our line and also the good results and try to enjoy riding the bike.
“The first target is to continue the progress we are doing and the second thing is, trying to improve on our results a little bit further because now it’s time to not just be in the top 10 again, but also to close up to the top 5.”
Team manager Wilco Zeelenberg highlighted that the new asphalt should also mean a wider racing line.
“[The] track has been resurfaced because last year the tarmac came off. It will be important that this ideal line of the track is wider, because last year only a small part was good and ready,” he said. “The layout is very nice.
“It’s a special event, very demanding and hot. Last year in the rain, Miguel won, so he clearly likes the track. We now can’t wait to see what we are able to do this year.”
Keyword: MotoGP Indonesia: Razali: “We wish for dry weather, but in case it rains…”