MotoGP™ primed for a pivotal return to Mandalika

Reset? Recharged? Ready to go? You’d better be as a triple header is about to light up the Championship fight, with the top two split by just three points and a whopping 111 on offer across the next three weekends. And it all starts in front of one of MotoGP™’s most passionate crowds as the sport returns to Indonesia and the fabulous Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit on the island of Lombok, with the billboards in place and hero’s welcome assured. 

So where were we? We were in the pouring rain, watching Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) hold his nerve just as Jorge Martin’s (Prima Pramac Racing) continued march towards the top required him to. So now it’s just three points, with Pecco stlil just ahead and having dealt with that pressure, but Martin very much looking like a man on a mission. The mission is simple for both: Martin’s is to keep going, Bagnaia’s is to stop him. Can either reign Mandalika?

Just behind them, there has already been a frisson of drama as well. Title contender Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) suffered a broken collarbone in training, giving the Italian a race against time to not lose too much ground to the top. The team haven’t yet confirmed when he’ll be back, but say they will soon. Luca Marini, meanwhile, is expected to travel to Indonesia.

The same is true of Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™), with the team saying he’ll at least be travelling to test out or begin a return to action. And it’s a huge week as rumours continue to swirl around the seat currently occupied by teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio, not an easy situation for anyone involved. The one thing we do have confirmed, however, is that Marc Marquez will split from HRC at the end of 2023.

After weeks and even months of speculation, it would be easy for some to take the official confirmation, received last week, as a formality. But huge decisions are never such a thing, with hours, days, and weeks of negotiation and emotion behind the scenes. Especially when you’ve rewritten the record books and raced together for over a decade. So what does the future hold? Regardless of the longer term answer, on the coattails of a “romantic” podium in Japan for the number 93, there are six race weekends to go. And we can bet on Marquez giving it more than just a go, starting now.

Alongside him, it’s also a final stretch with the brand for Alex Rins (LCR Honda Castrol) ahead of his switch, if he can get back out there this weekend. For Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) it’s a new era within the marque as his 2024 was confirmed with Honda, and for Joan Mir (Repsol Honda Team) it’s a look across the box wondering who will be there next season. It’s also, in some ways, an opportunity, and off the back of two points scoring finishes including that glorious return to the top five in India.

Speaking of which, Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) got back on the podium…