With track temperatures of 62 degrees and 73% humidity, Sunday’s 27-lap race at the Mandalika International Circuit was among the most physically challenging Grand Prix of the year. 53,296 fans were in attendance to witness it. 

The temperatures were only heightened for Bastianini at the start when he was riding in the main group. The Italian found it difficult to turn his KTM RC16 and hold the correct line in the track’s 17 corners while trying to manage his front tyre pressure. 

However, as the group spread apart, ‘La Bestia’ started to feel more at home. From mid-race he could lap comfortably in the 1’30s, which was a similar pace to the riders fighting for the podium. Late moves saw him pass Brad Binder and Luca Marini on lap 23 and 26 respectively, which elevated him to tenth place - his eleventh top ten finish of the season so far.

Viñales had a difficult Sunday. The Spaniard didn’t feel at his physical best in morning Warm Up. Despite that, ‘Top Gun’ resolved to finish the race despite the punishing conditions and crossed the line in 17th.

The Tech3 team now have one weekend free before a run of three rounds in three weeks. That kicks off with the final Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island from 23-25 October. 

Enea Bastianini: “It was a very difficult start, like always when you are starting behind many riders. But as the race progressed and the group spread apart, it was better for me. Today I suffered a lot in the slipstream, just like yesterday. My bike felt a little nervous when I was tucked in behind the others. The bike didn’t want to stay on line, and turning was tricky. Plus, we felt the turbulence from the other bikes. We need to study this for Phillip Island. From the middle of the race, it was much better. I came back, was fast and did a good job at the end. I’m not really happy about the result. Next time out the aim will be to qualify much better. Let’s see what we can do in Australia.

Maverick Viñales: “It was a bad race. Already this morning in the Warm Up I felt really bad and at my limit. I did the race and tried to finish for my team. I tried to do a good rhythm in the middle of the race but it was really difficult. I tried to push but, also, I still don’t feel so good with the bike. It was very tough to do something good. Now is the time just to relax and go onto the next one. I will not train for the next days and try to recover and see the evolution of my physical condition over the next days. It was a very tough weekend.”

Nicolas Goyon, Team Manager: “In the end we’re leaving Mandalika with a strong top ten from Enea. This was the target before the race, but it wasn’t as easy as expected. Enea struggled in the first half of the race but did a super good job in the second half when he was one of the fastest riders on track. It wasn’t an easy weekend, but in the end Enea did a good job. Starting 14th, he ended up in tenth. It’s a decent job on our side.

“On the other side of the garage the situation is a little more tricky. For some reason, Maverick never really felt comfortable on the bike. He didn’t find a good setup and couldn’t find the confidence. It was clearly a disappointing result today. Maverick will have to take a break, refresh himself and come back in Phillip Island in better spirits and there is no reason why we can’t do it. Now it’s time to pack up everything, have one week off and then head to Australia.”