It’s tight at the top of the standings after two contrasting Grand Prix events to open the MotoGP season, with both those rounds featuring different winners.
Round one was under lights at night in Qatar and round two on a rain-drenched track in daylight in Indonesia.
Italian Gresini Ducati team rider Enea Bastianini was an emotional winner at round one in Qatar two weeks ago, but round two, the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia, at the new Mandalika International Street Circuit, at the weekend was not so flash for Bastianini, who managed only 11th in the race, although he still leads the title chase overall.
It was instead an entirely memorable event for the dominant performance by Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Miguel Oliveira (pictured here), who sailed to his first win of the season and the sixth victory for KTM in the premier category.
Oliveira was unable to finish the series opening race in Qatar, therefore scoring no points, but now the Portuguese rider is up to fourth in the standings and, interestingly, so tight is the points table that just 10 points cover the top nine riders.
The weekend’s event at Mandalika was the first Grand Prix on Indonesian soil in a quarter of a century.
The teams and riders familiarised themselves with the brand-new facility during a brief pre-season test but had to cope with harsh temperatures and low-grip asphalt that was unpredictable in terms of the size and cleanliness of the main racing line.
The MotoGP sprint was delayed by more than an hour after a torrential rain shower flooded the venue, and additionally resulted in the overall race distance being reduced to 20 laps.
Oliveira started on the third row of the grid but rocketed from 7th to the lead and diced with Australian Ducati rider Jack Miller as the pair edged a slight distance over the rest of the pack.
As the conditions changed, riders remained on edge tackling the varied sections of dampness as the heat helped to clear some of the racing lines. Oliveira embraced the challenge and forged a five second lead by the mid-race stage which he managed all the way to the chequered flag.
Marking Oliveira’s fourth victory in the MotoGP category, KTM are the top manufacturer in the series for the first time in their six-year tenure in the category while Red Bull KTM Factory Racing top the Team’s standings following their best start to a season so far.
Launching from 4th on the grid, Oliveira’s KTM team-mate Brad Binder suffered a technical problem before he could establish his race pace and then ploughed a course through the water to win a thrilling battle for 8th.
Binder is now second overall, just two points from the top of the MotoGP Championship table and Oliveira has lifted from nowhere to fourth.
Since KTM joined the premier class in 2017, the manufacturer has taken 15 podiums including six victories and will be looking to carry this momentum after a positive start to the 2022 season.
“Emotionally that was a roller coaster,” said Oliveira afterwards.
“The start was perfect and then it was hard to judge the limit. I followed Jack (Miller) for a few laps and understood I could go faster, I then focused to do the maximum and built the gap. I was managing the cushion through the race, but it was not easy.
“It hasn’t been the easiest time for me, so this is emotional, and I promised my daughter a trophy from Indonesia, so this is for her. Let’s go to Argentina now and see what we can do and keep up the level. Right now, I’m happy to be on top of the podium.”
Photo courtesy KTM
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2022 MotoGP World Champs standings after round two:
1 Enea Bastianini ITA Gresini Ducati (GP21) 30 points
2 Brad Binder RSA Red Bull KTM (RC16) 28 (-2)
3 Fabio Quartararo FRA Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) 27 (-3)
4 Miguel Oliveira POR Red Bull KTM (RC16) 25 (-5)
5 Johann Zarco FRA Pramac Ducati (GP22) 24 (-6)
6 Pol Espargaro SPA Repsol Honda (RC213V) 20 (-10)
7 Aleix Espargaro SPA Aprilia Racing (RS-GP) 20 (-10)
8 Alex Rins SPA Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) 20 (-10)
9 Joan Mir SPA Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) 20 (-10)
10 Franco Morbidelli ITA Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) 14 (-16)
11 Jack Miller AUS Ducati Lenovo (GP22) 13 (-17)
12 Marc Marquez SPA Repsol Honda (RC213V) 11 (-19)
13 Darryn Binder RSA WithU Yamaha RNF (YZR-M1) 6 (-24)
14 Takaaki Nakagami JPN LCR Honda (RC213V) 6 (-24)
15 Luca Marini ITA Mooney VR46 Ducati (GP22) 5 (-25)
16 Maverick Viñales SPA Aprilia Racing (RS-GP) 4 (-26)
17 Alex Marquez SPA LCR Honda (RC213V) 3 (-27)
18 Andrea Dovizioso ITA WithU Yamaha RNF (YZR-M1) 2 (-28)
19 Remy Gardner AUS KTM Tech3 (RC16) 1 (-29)
20 Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati Lenovo (GP22) 1 (-29)