A steaming climate on the island of Lombok clinged to the Mandalika Street Circuit as Brad Binder and Jack Miller made it through 27 grueling laps for round fifteen of twenty in 2023 MotoGP and classified with 6th and 7th positions. The Indonesian Grand Prix was played out in front of a 73,000 crowd on Sunday and as the first of six events in the next seven weeks. Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Pedro Acosta succeeded in Moto2.
- Brad Binder negotiates the full Grand Prix distance in Indonesia and his competitive run to 6th after two Long Lap penalties makes up for the blameless crash during the Saturday Sprint
- Jack Miller improves his race starting prowess after the Saturday Sprint and pushes all the way to 7th only a few days before he enters a bright spotlight for his home Grand Prix
- Rounds sixteen and seventeen will take MotoGP to the flow of Phillip Island and the heavy braking and acceleration demands of the Chang International Circuit across the next two weekends
- Pedro Acosta wins for the seventh time to increase his Moto2 world championship margin to a 65-point advantage – almost three GPs - and with just five rounds to go
Mandalika shimmered and glistened in the October heat for the latest pulsating episode of 2023 MotoGP and with Red Bull KTM gritting their teeth for more rewards from the Indonesia Grand Prix in the wake of disappointment on Saturday. Brad Binder and Jack Miller started from 5th and 10th on the grid respectively and both had designs of improvement on the 9th position posted by Miller during the Sprint 24-hours earlier.
The relatively new track was hosting MotoGP for just the second time and - aside from the excessive heat - the dirty state of the asphalt away from the main racing line presented the biggest obstacle or risk for brave overtaking moves. On Sunday the track temperature reached a frying 57 degrees.
Binder started rapidly but contact with another rider on the second lap while jostling for 3rd meant that the South African had to take a Long Lap penalty and dropped from 5th to 10th. He responded through the rest of the race to fight back but another touch meant he had to swallow the sanction again and ended a dramatic day with 6th. Miller was impressively competitive in the mid-top ten and remained solid to collect 7th at the flag.
Brad remains rooted in 4th spot in the championship standings. He has a 72 point deficit to the top three but holds a margin of 34 over the 5th place runner. Miller is 9th while Red Bull KTM Factory Racing are inside the top four of eleven for the Teams competition. KTM retain 2nd position in the Constructors table. The fantastically technical, fast and flowing Phillip Island circuit is up next for the paddock and far cooler climes south of Melbourne for MotoGP’s next adventure.
