According to them, it was a new mixture.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Track improvement work underway at the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) will be completed next week, President Director of the Mandalika Grand Prix Association (MGPA) Priandhi Satria stated.

"The track improvement work is going as planned. We are in the final (improvement) stage of re-paving (the circuit)," he told ANTARA here on Thursday.

The track improvement work was conducted at the request of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), as the circuit would host the 11th round of the 2022 FIM World Superbike Championship (WSBK) on November 11-13, 2022.

The president director of MGPA -- the promoter of all racing events held at the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit -- noted that the challenge for the improvement project was that the circuit required a unique asphalt mixture that was not used in any other circuit.

"Making the (asphalt) mixture for the Mandalika Circuit is not easy. The circuit is located near the sea. The weather changes a lot. (During) the day, (the circuit) is hot, then (in) the afternoon (it) turns cold, while (at) the night, (it) can be wet or humid," he pointed out.

Nonetheless, he stated that Italian company Dromo-Applied Italian Circuit Design, as consultant of the track improvement project, had found the right asphalt mixture for the circuit.

"Dromo, a consultant that has built dozens of circuits around the world, has made a new mixture. They took (several kinds of) stones from Indonesia (to create the new asphalt mixture), while the asphalt compounding was conducted in Germany and Italy. According to them, it was a new mixture," Satria explained.

In addition to revitalizing the track, his side also extended the run-off and kerbs.

"The kerbs that used to be regular kerbs had been renovated to be similar to the ones used at Misano Circuit. The (revitalization of the) kerbs and run-off area has been completed, and now, they just need to be repainted. All works are targeted to be completed on October 25-27, 2022," he stated.

The MGPA president director remarked that Dorna Sports, as the commercial right holder of MotoGP and WSBK, was satisfied with the improvement made to the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit.

CEO of Dorna Sports Carmelo Ezpeleta and Chief Sporting Director of Dorna Sports Carlos Ezpeleta had met Indonesian State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir here on Wednesday (October 19, 2022) to discuss Indonesia's preparedness to host the 2023 MotoGP.

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Translator: Muhammad Ramdan, Uyu Liman
Editor: Sri Haryati
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