Mandalika undergoes resurfacing and improvement works
After making its debut on the WorldSBK calendar in 2021, the Indonesian venue had more works completed
As the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship prepares to head to Indonesia for the Pirelli Indonesian Round, details about further works completed at the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit have been revealed. The circuit has been extensively resurfaced following WorldSBK’s first visit there in 2021 and MotoGP™ heading there this season while more works have been completed ahead of WorldSBK’s second round there.
Several different aspects of the circuit have been worked on following the MotoGP™ visit in March to further enhance the circuit and improve different areas. At Turn 5 and Turn 6, kerbs have been amended with drainage upgraded and this was the first phase of the works to be completed. Some run-off areas have been extended and then, after this, the resurfacing work got underway at the 4.3km circuit.
More than 5,000 tonnes of asphalt make up the Mandalika circuit with more than 200 people involved in the works, with the works designed to improve the flatness of the circuit as well as water drainage; aiming to avoid standing water on the circuit in the event of heavy rainfall. In order to ensure the best possible job, the circuit was milled, in sections, before being checked with a laser scan to help understand the work required in each section. More than 56,000 sqm of track area were milled during the works. The works were led by Italian company Dromo and track designer Jarno Zaffelli.
In order to find the perfect asphalt for the circuit, there were several productions of asphalt mix were made before these mixes went into trial to confirm the formulation of the asphalt. The repaving work took place over six days due to technical issues, with breaks on days two and five during the resurfacing period. To complete the resurfacing work, a production plant was constructed on site that was capable of producing more than 240 tonnes an hour of the asphalt mix used.
16 different machines were used throughout the works for the various processes. There were four asphalt pavers that were complete with levelers for the resurfacing area, ten tandem rollers as well as two milling machines which featured automated machine controls. These all helped lay the asphalt, named ‘Rinjani’ after the volcano on Lombok island where the Mandalika circuit is, to be put down to complete the works; aggregates for the asphalt were also sourced from Rinjani to increase the sustainability of the works.
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