Dorna's boss, Carmelo Ezeleta, who is responsible for both MotoGP and WSBK, readily admitted: “ in recent years I have studied projects in Indonesia, in Sentul near Jakarta, then in Pelambang. But Lombok will be a unique place ". With a billion dollars of investment announced, we want to believe it.
This time we pulled out all the stops. And this project should take motorcycle racing into another dimension. The manufacturers wanted to show themselves in a strategic Indonesian market and Indonesia wanted his Grand Prix whose popular success is already assured. So we have a loose purse.
The venue for the festivities will take place in Lombok. In 2021. Indonesia Tourism Development Corporation (IDTC), Indonesia's largest tourism companies and Dorna Sports SL have agreed to produce in Indonesia, the FIM World Championship Superbike and the FIM MotoGP World Championship.
These events will not take place on a permanent track, but on a road course which will only be closed during the two sporting events. But safety measures, crash zones and infrastructure will still be able to accommodate most demands. FIM Grade A homologation must be guaranteed.
Indonesia has already developed, designed and built the massive Nusa Dua resort in Bali. It consists of 19 hotels with 5 hotel rooms. In 000, the Miss World election took place in this city. The new Mandalika resort is being launched on the neighboring island of Lombok, which already has a large international airport and several direct flights. By boat, Lombok can be reached in 2016 minutes from Bali. “ ITDC has already invested $25 million in Lombok for this new complex" , said Ricky Baheramsjah, investment and marketing manager at Indonesia Tourism Development Corporation.
The new GP circuit will be 4,3 km long with 19 turns. To ensure that the infrastructure does not remain idle for 50 weeks per year, the boxes will be connected to a convention center, the premises of which will be reserved for racing during MotoGP and SBK events. A British company with 20 years of experience will plan and design the circuit.
The circuit will cover an area of 1 hectares and by 095, the Mandalika resort will have eleven hotels with a total of 2021 rooms. The Indonesian government is fully committed to the project, with no fewer than four ministries involved. The construction contract was awarded to VINCI, a construction company with more than 1 employees. By 900, major infrastructure projects in Lombok are expected to be completed.
In total, $1 billion will be invested in the Mandalika resort over 15 years. “ When you come to the Grand Prix, you will think you are on a permanent race track", said on speedweek the British circuit architect, Mark Hughes, general manager of Mrk1consulting. We wait to discover all this in an environment where nature sometimes makes its law reign by making shaking the earth or provoking the wrath of the sky...
