MXGP Indonesia 2022: Top 5 Things to Know

By Team TMX on 24th Jun 22

MXGP

MXGP returns to Indonesia after three years at a brand new circuit on the Sumbawa island. We also look at some of the top riders (plus locals), discuss the tricky time zone, the weather (hot and raining?), low gate numbers and other MXGP troubles, and as a bonus... how to watch, with a handy timetable for multiple time zones.

Indonesia and Sumbawa Island

The Sumbawa Island itself is located in the middle of the Lesser Sunda Islands chain, with Lombok to the west, Flores to the east, and Sumba further to the southeast. It is known to be the perfect place to surf and dive in the province of West Nusa Tenggara and is best known for its waves, sandy beaches and wild terrain.

The last time that MXGP visited Indonesia was back in 2019 with two incredible events, the MXGP of Indonesia and Asia. The Indonesian Grand Prix was won by Team HRCs Tim Gajser in MXGP and Red Bull GASGAS Factory Racings Jorge Prado in MX2, who will this weekend go head-to-head for the win in the premier class.

Sumbawa Samota Circuit

The track is entirely new and built specifically to host the 12th round of the MXGP series, with an exclusive location close to the sea, in the area of Samota. The medium-hard track is 1695m in length and is surrounded by five lakes that act as a natural watering system and has two big paddock structures fully equipped with air conditioning.

The event will foresee various concerts, air shows and the typical warm welcome that MXGP always receives from passionate Indonesia fans. Infront says this event is also special because it has the support of the local Government of West Nusa Tenggara Province and the island of Sumbawa, who are "keen on taking the event to the next level". What does that mean? Your guess is as good as ours.

MXGP stars to watch

Jeremy Seewer

Currently second in the MXGP championship chase, Jeremy Seewer has made an impressive return to form over the previous two Grands Prix. The Swiss star proved his potency with his first race and Grand Prix win of the season in France less than two weeks ago, and he then added to that statement with another emphatic race win a week later in Germany.

Having won two of the last four races, Seewer is expecting to challenge the top step in Indonesia, an area of the world that has always been good to him. In fact, it was on Indonesian soil that the 91 celebrated his first-ever Grand Prix victory - in 2017. In addition, he also made the box twice at the back-to-back MXGP rounds of Indonesia and Asia back in 2019.

Romain Febvre

Kawasaki Racing Team MXGPs Romain Febvre made his return to racing in Germany after six months off the bike due to injury. The Frenchman only had a couple of weeks on the bike before he lined up for an MXGP race and his results were very impressive. Febvre went four-seven in the races for fifth overall, which is a great starting point for the Kawasaki rider who is looking to get back to full fitness and focus on the title fight in 2023.

Tim Gajser

Team HRCs Tim Gajser finally got back to winning ways after securing a race victory and getting on the top step for the first time since the Italian Grand Prix in Maggiora. Gajser had some tough races but getting on the top step a couple of weeks ago in Germany and as well with the confidence of winning in Indonesia last time around should make him a GP victory threat as he will no doubt be looking to start a new winning streak

MX2 stars to watch

Tom Vialle

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Tom Vialle is unfortunate not to be leading the MX2 championship, but you need luck as well as the undoubted talent the Frenchman has. He's received a lot of attention in this off-week with speculation on both sides of the Atlantic speculating he may switch to AMA action next season. Will it prove to be a distraction? You don't become a world champion without being able to stay focused.

Jago Geerts

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing's Jago Geerts is the leading man, as eight points separate him and Vialle who lost the red plate due to a bike issue in the second MX2 race at the German Grand Prix.

This is just another turn in the title fight between the pair which has never been closer! No doubt both Geerts and Vialle will be looking for top results and the medium-hard terrain should suit both.

Thibault Benistant

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing's Thibault Benistant should be full of confidence after his first Grand Prix win in Teutschenthal just a couple of weeks ago. Benistant has been strong in the last two GPs, has won a race at each one and has finished on the box on both occasions. He has three podiums this year, but more will no doubt be on the way as the Frenchman looks on form.

Local riders

There are a number of local riders taking part in this weekend's Indonesia Grand Prix, including Delvintor Alfarizi, Ananda rigi Aditya, Diva Ismayana and Malaysian riders Dharwin Lingam, Muhammad Hakimi Iroly and Phattiphat Theerapongs Rattanap. Alfarizi is the most experience out of the group, having competed previously at the Indonesia Grand Prix in Semarang in 2019 where he finished 16th and 18th in Palembang.

Dark skies over MXGP?

This is a messy one with strongly held opinions that are polar opposites.

Throughout the season, low numbers on entry lists have been highlighted by a sparsely populated grid. And without an epic title tussle between Jeffrey Herlings, Tim Gajser and Romain Febvre to help distract, the vacant gates have received a lot of attention from the fans.

We have seen many comments across social media and forums with fans complaining about that issue.

Meanwhile, some riders, teams and industry people have been calling for an end to Saturday's qualifying race. Herlings is, without a doubt, the most high-profile person within MXGP to consistently push for an end to what he feels is a pointless risk a race that means nothing but risks so much.

There was an unprecedented moment in MXGP when nine riders elected to not race a muddy qualifying moto at Ernee, citing concerns over safety after rain drenched the track. Infront and many fans weren't so impressed with those riders.

The two aren't directly related but are getting lumped together in a debate of whether MXGP needs fixing. Throw in discussions about the lack of prize money and spiralling costs for teams and event organisers, and the debate gets magnified.

As we said, Herlings has been outspoken about MXGP's Saturday schedule but without success, with owners Infront sticking firmly to the traditional Saturday timetable. This week, on the Gypsy Tales podcast, he tried to make his point again and during the course of a conversation with the host, he signs up for a radical rethink of qualifying. "Why take that extra risk on a Saturday," Herlings asks. "It means nothing!"

While Herlings is complimentary towards Infront, saying they do many great things and are "super professional", he suggests the lack of money for riders has a significant impact on the feasibility of racing the series.

With Herlings' recent stinging comments combined with only 21 entries for the MXGP class and 17 for MX2, the timing of the Grand Prix of Indonesia is unfortunate for Infront.

The Weather

The climate in Sumbawa is tropical and hot year-round. It's in the dry season at the moment, but with that said, the area may experience some showers. Sunny intervals will possibly turn more cloudy as each day goes on. It will; however, be hot with temperatures soaring up to 35c during the day.

Time Zone

There are three recognised time zones for Indonesia so knowing the right one is important to avoid missing any of the moto action. The time zone that matters for the MXGP of Indonesia is Central Indonesia Time, which is seven hours ahead of BST or UTC+8.

The good news is we've done the conversion for the fans living in the UK, and Europe (Central European Time). Plus, we've got the converted time for our American friends (Pacific Time and Eastern Time). The bad news... you need to get up early (or stay up late in the USA) to watch all the racing.

How to Watch

• Race date: Sunday, June 26
• Start time: 12:00 local / 05:00 BST
• First Moto: 12:15 local / 05:15 BST
• Last Moto: 16:10 local / 09:10 BST
• TV channel: Various
• Live stream: MXGP-TV
• Highlights: Available Sunday on TMX (see below)

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