If it seems that a future Indonesian Grand Prix could take place from 2021, it is only one project among others and its very nature, a street circuit (see here) or luxury complex, does not yet seem defined.
The proof is the press release below from the Indonesian Tourism Development Company which clearly mentions the future Mandalika resort, on the island of Lombok, as a possibility to host the Grand Prix having recently been presented to Carmelo Ezpeleta.
This location seems favored by Indonesia and, in fact, would correspond more to the idea we have of safety standards in MotoGP than an urban circuit, however well designed it may be!
But as we can see between the lines, and despite the importance of the Indonesian market for motorcycle manufacturers, the matter still seems very far from being closed...
ITDC (Indonesia Tourism Development Corporation), confirms that between the Australian MotoGP held at Phillip Island and the Malaysian Grand Prix, Mr. Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna Sports SL, and the sporting director, Mr. Carlos Ezpeleta, made a short break to visit the island of Bali, at the five-star Nusa Dua resort, a 350-hectare property, owned and managed by ITDC.
During the stay, Mr. Ezpeleta and Mr. Abdulbar M. Mansoer, CEO and Managing Director of ITDC, visited and enjoyed the Nusa Dua facilities and also embarked on a day trip to the island of Lombok to visit Mandalika, another tourism project currently under development by ITDC, located on the south coast of the island. For this particular visit, Dorna visited a possible location to host future motorcycle races within the 1-hectare integrated tourism estate.
A statement from Mr. Abdulbar Mr. Mansoer reads: “Mr. Carmelo Ezpeleta was mainly in Nusa Dua for a well-deserved break at the Bali National Golf Club before heading to Kuala Lumpur for the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang . This was not his first time visiting the island as he had visited Nusa Dua about two years before. For this visit, despite his busy schedule and in transit between the two races, he wanted to visit Bali as well as Lombok, where we welcomed him at the Mandalika and presented a potential concept to host future motorcycle races. His visit was brief, but we think he sincerely enjoyed his break and we would of course be very happy to welcome him to Bali and Lombok in the near future.”
