Aldi Mahendra (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) made a name for himself after claiming last year’s FIM Supersport 300 World Championship title. His reputation has only continued to grow after moving into the FIM Supersport World Championship, putting in some impressive performances on the Yamaha R9 machine, albeit with some inconsistent results. Speaking ahead of the Hungarian Round, the Indonesian star reflected on his season so far, training with teammate Can Oncu at Kenan Sofuoglu’s track, having the guidance of WorldSSP stalwart Jules Cluzel and more.

WORKING WITH ONCU AND CLUZEL: “I try to copy Can… Jules pushes me a lot!”

In 2025, Mahendra has been working with 24-time race winner Jules Cluzel, spending some time with the Frenchman in Andorra while they both ventured out to Turkey when Mahendra trained at Soufoglu’s track alongside teammate Can Oncu. Cluzel has the fourth-most starts in WorldSSP history with 134 while Oncu has 114, and is set to end the year on 122 – just two shy of Sofuoglu’s tally. It provides Mahendra plenty of experience in his camp and he explained how this has helped him.

The 19-year-old said: “Can’s helped me a lot! Before Balaton, I trained in Turkey, and it was good for me and for my mentality. Every time, I try to learn from him because he has a lot of experience compared to me. I try to copy him! Turkey was so hard. It was a new experience, and I just tried to continue like them, in the gym, training with the bike. I just tried to push. I’m happy I can work with Jules. He helped me a lot in every season, and he pushes me a lot. I’m so happy with him. He’s helped me a lot.”

MAKING THE STEP UP: “I’ve gained a lot of experience… I just tried to be good every day”

Mahendra moved up to WorldSSP for 2025 after claiming last year’s WorldSSP300 crown, and impressed quickly. He was in the points in Race 2 at Phillip Island before taking his first top ten finish in Race 2 at Assen. He followed that up with five more, consecutively, before slipping outside of those positions again. Nevertheless, the Indonesian has finished all but three of his races in the points and sits 11^th in the Championship with 73 points.

Reflecting on his first seven WorldSSP rounds, and before the Hungarian Round, Mahendra stated: “So far, I feel like I’ve gained a lot of experience. I tried to learn a lot from the first round until here. I just tried to be good every day. At my favourite circuits, I tried to do my best and tried to make a good step. I just tried to get a top five and if I had the possibility of a podium, I tried! The last rounds weren’t so easy for me because the tracks weren’t easy, and I was struggling with rear grip, so I need time to understand how to manage everything.”

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