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The weather is something that can provide a challenge to all riders in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, but the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit adds another layer to this with the heat and humidity. Air temperatures can exceed 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) while there is also the added challenge of the humidity on Lombok island for the riders to deal with. During the Motul Indonesian Round, riders explained the challenges of riding in the heat and humidity.

During Friday, temperatures peaked at 33 degrees Celsius air temperature with a 54% humidity recorded during the afternoon Free Practice 2 session which had the warmest temperatures of the day. During Saturday, the highest air temperature was recorded as 31 degrees Celsius during the Tissot Superpole session, with the temperature in Race 1 only one degree cooler. Humidity in both sessions was at above 60%.

“I hope not too much because other riders will be angry with me!”, joked Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) said on Friday after track action concluded. “Normally, you can lose around two or three kilos but it’s always water, so you have to be very hydrated before the weekend.”

Bautista’s teammate, Michael Ruben Rinaldi, added: “It’s a really demanding track. You sweat a lot and you lose a lot of water. This is the track where I drink seven litres of water because I think even more during the morning and afternoon. I need to hydrate myself. I don’t know how much weight I lost, I’ve never weighed myself before and after but when I went home after Mandalika, my parents and family also say to me ‘did they give you food or not?’ because I look skinny. We need to eat and drink here.”

Also speaking on Friday, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) said: “I don’t know why but I feel quite good this weekend. It’s just when I stop, and you still have the leathers on that it gets quite hot. In a race situation, it’s very hard to calculate weight loss and fluid loss but I think somewhere between 1.5 and two kilos of fluid. That’s over a 40-minute race. As soon as you have the helmet off in parc ferme or on the podium, you’re rehydrating with electrolytes, recovery drinks and water, trying to be as good as possible.”

ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team’s Michael van der Mark said: “It’s difficult. In FP2, I think a little bit more than a kilo. It’s just liquid so we have to keep hydrated. It’s just water and some extra stuff!”

Speaking after recording a top-five finish in Race 1, rookie Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team) said: “I suffered in the last three laps. With four or five laps to go, I put in my best lap trying to catch Bassani but then I overcooked my rpm and I needed to slow down a little bit. I maybe gave too much. It was quite tough for me. I always suffer a lot in this heat. I don’t know how much weight I lost but the leathers just removed themselves because I think I lost three or four kilos!”

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