MotoGP™: Oliveira masterclass in Mandalika rain

Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) took advantage of the grip provided by his MICHELIN Power Rain tires to produce a flawless run in wet conditions at the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia, round two of the MotoGPTM World Championship. He was joined on the podium by defending champ Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and Johan Zarco (Pramac Racing) who made it three different bike-makers in the top-three.

The start of the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia – which had been shortened by Race Control from 27 to 20 laps earlier in the day due to suffocating heat – was delayed by more than an hour after torrential rain swept over the circuit during the late stages of the Moto2 race.

The wet track led the riders to fit medium MICHELIN Power Rains and Oliveira leapt from seventh on the grid to lead at the end of Lap 1. He momentarily relinquished top spot to Jack Miller (Lenovo Ducati Team) but tucked in behind the Australian and recovered the position fifth time around.

The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing star then made the most of the exceptional grip delivered by his tires to pull as much as five seconds clear en route to his fourth MotoGPTM  victory by a winning margin of two seconds. Confirming the longevity of his MICHELIN Power Rains, he clocked his personal best lap two laps from home.

Pole-winner Quartararo put in a strong display in spite of his dislike for wet weather. Despite falling back to fifth early on, he gradually upped his pace as he gained confidence in his tires to bag second spot after posting the fastest race lap (1m38.749s). Fellow Frenchman Zarco ended up third overall and best-placed Independent Team Rider.

The day’s top five was rounded out by Miller and Alex Rins (Team SUZUKI ECSTAR), while the first Rookie home was the surprising Darryn Binder (WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team) who was 10th past the flag.

The changeable weather saw the entire MICHELIN Power Slick and Power Rain ranges come out over the weekend, with the latter understandably earning the trust of the whole field for the grand prix itself which saw just one rider make a mistake.

Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP) continues to top the provisional championship standings after Indonesia on 30 points, tailed by Brad Binder (28 points, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Quartararo (27).

Next round: Gran Premio Michelin® de la República Argentina (April 1-3).