Aldi Mahendra (AS BLU CRU Racing Team) produced nothing short of a ridiculous opening two laps in Race 2 of the FIM Supersport World Championship as the season kicked off in Australia. A pre-race rain shower left the track wet but, as the rain stopped, the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit dried rapidly, and the Indonesian rider’s inspired tyre choice helped him climb to a maiden podium in the series.

A technical issue in Friday afternoon’s Tissot Superpole session meant the 2024 WorldSSP300 Champion was unable to set a lap time, which left him P28 and last on the grid. In Race 1, Mahendra climbed to 15^th by the end of the first lap and 13^th at the flag in dry conditions, with his opening lap a sign of what was to come. His fastest lap, however, was only the 16^th quickest and with the top nine fastest laps setting the grid positions, Mahendra would have to do it all over again.

That was no problem for the Indonesian star. Mahendra was just one of a handful of riders to opt for slick tyres, and he used this to full advantage. Remarkably, he climbed 22 places on the opening lap, before taking the lead at Turn 4 on Lap 2. He and teammate Albert Arenas broke away before Arenas pulled clear of Mahendra, leading to a 1-2 finish for the AS BLU CRU Racing Team and Mahendra’s first podium in WorldSSP.

Reacting to his podium and explaining the tyre choice, Mahendra said: “Race 2 was amazing. It was complete confusion because of the weather, whether it would rain or not rain. I had to choose the right tyre. I tried to keep calm, spoke to my team and chose the slick tyre. I tried to push a lot in the first laps because I knew everybody had the rain tyre. I tried to get to the front as fast as possible. I was just focused, spoke to my crew chief and then we changed the tyre!”

His first laps unsurprisingly caught the eye of everyone in the paddock, including Yamaha Motor Europe’s Road Racing Sporting Manager, Niccolo Canepa, who stated in his “Canepa’s Comments” debrief about Mahendra: “He started the races from last after a technical problem in the Superpole, and on Lap 2 of Race 2 he was already leading the race, making some incredible overtakes on slick tyres on a damp track, which shows his skill and potential. We were very happy to see this, as Aldi is a rider who progressed through the BLU CRU programme, won WorldSSP300 and is now on the podium in the Supersport class. Not only this, but it is also the first WorldSSP podium in history for an Indonesian rider – demonstrating the success of the BLU CRU programme in offering young riders the opportunity to realise their full potential on the world stage, regardless of background.   We are looking forward to seeing what he can do in the next few races!”

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