Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1462250
HONDA RIDERS TAKE AIM AT MICHELIN French tire supplier Michelin's deci- sion to bring rear tires with stiffer casing—last used in October, 2018— to Mandalika was criticized by many on the grid, with Pol Espargaro particularly outspoken, claiming completing a race distance with the current rubber could be an issue. "With four-year-old tires, this bike isn't made for it. We saw Ducati struggling massively at the test here, especially on rhythm. Now they are flying. We are especially pissed off with that," he said. TRACK SURFACE The build-up to the first Indonesian GP in 25 years was a race against time. Preseason testing had shown part of the track surface was not suitable for racing. A hasty resurfac- ing job was carried out between turns 17 and five. There was serious concern on Thursday with mechan- ics noting how the surface came apart under foot. Friday's rain and cooler temperatures brought about light relief. But riders may go off line at their peril. "You can't go out of the right line," said Andrea Dovizioso. "But it's quite okay. I think it will be a bit difficult to do the race like this, because there is one line, but the conditions were better than the test." PECCO'S WALK-BACK On the eve of the Grand Prix, Fran- cesco Bagnaia performed a walk- back after his emotional post-race outburst in Qatar. There, the Italian said he would only focus on fine tuning race setup over a weekend, rather than continuing with bike Briefly... "I am satisfied and happy, the first podium is always special," Zarco said. "If I had had more confidence from the beginning, I could have gone higher but I had to understand how far I could push myself. I go back home with more confidence and a lot more confidence with the bike." Fourth in Indonesia went to Jack Miller, the Australian falling back in the latter stages but com- fortably ahead of Suzuki's Alex Rins and Joan Mir. Seventh went to Morbidelli, while Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM) got the better of a titanic tussle between himself, Aprilia's Aleix Espargaro, his brother Darryn Binder (WithU Yamaha), Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing Ducati), sole Repsol Honda rider Pol Es- ROUND 2 / MARCH 18-20, 2022 MANDALIKA INTERNATIONAL STREET CIRCUIT / LOMBOK, INDONESIA P74 MOTOGP I FIM MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (Above) Darryn Binder (40) took some big names on his way to an excellent 10th place.