Sentul International Circuit Explained

Sentul International Circuit
Location:Sentul City, Bogor Regency, West Java, Indonesia
Capacity:50,000
Events:Current:
Indonesia Touring Car Championship
Former:
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Indonesian motorcycle Grand Prix (1996–1997)
World SBK (1994–1997)
Asia Road Racing Championship (1996–2000, 2002–2018)
Porsche Carrera Cup Asia (2006–2009)
GP2 Asia (2008)
Speedcar Series (2008)
A1 GP (2006)
Indonesian Grand Prix (1993)
Layout1:Grand Prix Circuit (1993–present)
Length Km:3.965
Length Mi:2.464
Turns:11
Record Time:1:15.686
Record Driver: Bruno Senna
Record Car:Dallara GP2/05
Record Year:2008
Record Class:GP2 Asia

Sentul International Circuit is a 50,000-capacity[1] permanent motor racing circuit located at Sentul City, Babakan Madang, Bogor Regency, West Java, Indonesia, near the toll gate of Jakarta towards Bogor city and areas at the foot of Jonggol Mountains [2]

Its pit facilities have easy access to the Jagorawi Toll Road. The current circuit is a truncated version of the original design. Approximately 40% shorter than the original, the circuit runs clockwise and is predominantly used for motorcycle racing and the Asian F3 series. Sentul is a relatively simple, smooth, broad track with large runoff areas, enabling non-bumpy and smooth driving at racing speeds. Sentul has a 900m (3,000feet) main straight that allows speeds of up to 300km/h before slowing for the right-hand Turn 1. The only truly high-speed corner at Sentul is Turn 2. The fastest driver on four-wheel machines can do 220km/h, and the fastest rider can do 190km/h on two-wheel machines. They can take Turn 2 as a complex "S" bend when they get out from the tighter Turn 1 at around 140km/h. The wide corners allow good passing with various racing lines.

Located in Bogor Regency, Sentul is a hilly area at the foot of the Jonggol Mountains and a bit cooler than the tropical city of Jakarta. However, the track can still get extremely hot under direct sunlight. It is also humid and wet as well. Such characteristics cause distress to European tuners, riders and drivers who are accustomed to cooler climates.[3]

History

Sentul International Circuit (section) was designed to meet the Formula One motor racing standard and was the first serious attempt outside Japan to meet such a standard in Asia. The vision came to Indonesia around 1990 when Hutomo Mandala Putra, motor racing enthusiast and son of President Suharto, began promoting the construction of a track at Sentul. Racing had previously been held at the short, tight and relatively dangerous Jaya Ancol Circuit, on the Java Sea coast in North Jakarta. In August 1993, the circuit was officially inaugurated with the 1993 Indonesian Grand Prix for Formula Holden.[2]

While Sentul International Circuit was intended to be Indonesia's Formula Two showcase to the world, its tight corners and shortened length rendered it unsuitable for Formula One. On 13 October 1996 the Pacific GP was to be held at the Sentul Circuit but it was cancelled for previous mentioned reason.[4] Sentul has been used for the Superbike World Championship between 1994 and 1997 and the FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix in 1996 and 1997.

The 1997 Asian Financial Crisis worsened the situation and made motor racing an unaffordable luxury for many Indonesian enthusiasts who had been participating. The facility has also come to be overshadowed by the Sepang International Circuit, built in 1999, which possessed a superior track layout and facilities.

In the mid-2000s, the circuit held two rounds of the A1 Grand Prix of Nations, in the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons respectively. In 2008, the GP2 Asia Series raced at Sentul. A Superstars Series race was planned in 2012 and an Asian Le Mans Series race in 2013, but these ultimately were cancelled.

MotoGP was set to return to Indonesia in 2017, dependent on finding the 15 billion rupiah (approximately 1.12 million USD) required to get the circuit up to FIM Grade 1.[5] Due to the rapid rise in popularity of Formula One in Indonesia following the debut of Rio Haryanto in 2016, Formula One Management are said to be looking into the viability of holding a race at Sentul provided the upgrades are given the green light, however the plan never materialized, and Dorna Sports would eventually gave the hosting rights for the return of the Indonesian motorcycle Grand Prix to the Mandalika Circuit in Lombok instead of Sentul, which was held in March 2022.[6] [7]

Sentul International Circuit continues to host various events but mostly motorbike racing with ISSOM events also held throughout the year. It also hosted the para-cycling road race for the 2018 Asian Para Games.[8]

Track description

Other facilities include:

Lap records

As of October 2018, the fastest official race lap records at the Sentul International Circuit are listed as:

Category Time Driver Vehicle Event
Grand Prix Circuit: 3.965 km (1993–present)
1:15.686 2008 Sentul GP2 Asia Series round
1:18.110 2006–07 A1 Grand Prix of Nations, Indonesia
1:24.594[10] 2005 2nd Sentul Asian F3 round
1:26.141 1997 Indonesian motorcycle Grand Prix
1:27.151[11] 1997 Sentul World SBK round
1:28.256 1997 Indonesian motorcycle Grand Prix
1:29.786[12] 2009 Sentul Porsche Carrera Cup Asia round
1:30.131[13] 2016 Sentul ARRC round
1:32.040[14] 2009 Sentul Formula BMW Pacific round
1:32.316[15] 2008 Sentul Speedcar round
1:32.803 1997 Sentul Supersport World Series round
1:34.044 1997 Indonesian motorcycle Grand Prix
1:42.350[16] 2018 Sentul ARRC round
1:49.304[17] 2018 Sentul ARRC round

Events

Current
Former

Events winners

Indonesian motorcycle Grand Prix

SeasonWinner 500ccWinner 250ccWinner 125ccReport
1996 Mick Doohan Tetsuya Harada Masaki TokudomeReport
1997 Tadayuki Okada Max Biaggi Valentino RossiReport

Superbike World Championship

SeasonRace 1Race 2Report
1994 Jamie Whitham Carl FogartyReport
1995 Carl Fogarty Aaron SlightReport
1996 John Kocinski John KocinskiReport
1997 John Kocinski Carl FogartyReport

A1 Grand Prix

SeasonSprint Race WinnerFeature Race WinnerReport
2005–06 Nicolas Lapierre Sean McIntoshReport
2006–07 Jonny Reid Jonny ReidReport

Asian Formula 3

Series 2005

RoundRace WinnerFastest Lap
10 Tyson Sy Tyson Sy (1'24.594)
9 Tyson Sy Tyson Sy (1'24.791)
8 Ananda Mikola John O'Hara (1'25.092)
7 John O'Hara John O'Hara (1'25.221)

Series 2006

RoundRace WinnerFastest Lap
15CancelledCancelled
14 James Winslow Alistair Jackson (1'25.929)
13 James Winslow James Winslow (1'26.011)
12 James Winslow James Winslow (1'26.447)
11 James Winslow James Winslow (1'26.179)
10 James Winslow James Winslow (1'26.167)

Fatalities

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://motorplus.gridoto.com/read/04234986/mau-gelar-motogp-tribun-sirkuit-sentul-bakal-jauh-lebih-besar-dari-stadion-gbk#!%2F Mau Gelar MotoGP, Tribun Sirkuit Sentul Bakal Jauh Lebih Besar dari Stadion GBK
  2. News: Sentul International Circuit. 2008-12-31. 2007. asianf3.net. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20081010150314/http://www.asianf3.net/article/articleview/270/1/33/. 10 October 2008. dmy-all.
  3. News: Porsche Carrera Cup Asia 2008 – Round 7 & 8. 20 July 2008. porsche.com. 2008-12-31.
  4. David Hayhoe, Formula 1: The Knowledge – 2nd Edition, 2021, page 36
  5. http://m.kompas.com/otomotif/read/2015/11/19/182104615/Indonesia.Resmi.Jadi.Tuan Indonesia Resmi Jadi Tuan Rumah Moto GP 2017
  6. Web site: Resmi! Sirkuit Mandalika Tuan Rumah MotoGP 2021. Iswara. Aditya Jaya. Good News From Indonesia. id. 2019-04-03.
  7. Web site: Sirkuit Mandalika Batal Gelar MotoGP 2021, Seri Indonesia Direncanakan Berlangsung Maret 2022. 2021-04-09. Tribunnews.com. id-ID.
  8. News: 18 Sports and Venues You Need To Know in The Asian Para Games 2018!. 2018-11-11.
  9. Web site: Ketika Indonesia jadi tuan rumah "Piala Dunia". 17 August 2018 .
  10. Web site: 2005 Asian Formula 3 Championship Round 5: Sentul, 18th-19th September . 19 September 2005 . 16 July 2022.
  11. Web site: 1997-10-10 to 1997-10-12 World Superbike Indonesian Round Race 2 . 12 October 1997 . 7 January 2023.
  12. Web site: 2009 Asian Festival of Speed - Sentul Indonesia - Porsche Carrera Cup Asia - Race 1 . 15 August 2009 . 7 January 2023.
  13. Web site: 2016 Asia Road Racing Championship Rd 4 - Sentul International Circuit, Indonesia Supersports 600cc - Race 2 Official Result . 7 August 2016 . 29 October 2022.
  14. Web site: 2009 Asian Festival of Speed - Sentul Indonesia - Formula BMW Pacific - Race 2 . 12 August 2009 . 7 January 2023.
  15. Web site: 2008 Speedcar Series Sentul, 16th-17th February . 17 February 2008 . 16 July 2022.
  16. Web site: 2018 Asia Road Racing Championship Sentul International Circuit, Indonesia Asia Production 250cc - Race 2 Official Result . 14 October 2018 . 29 October 2022.
  17. Web site: 2018 Asia Road Racing Championship Sentul International Circuit, Indonesia Underbone 150cc - Race 2 Official Result . 13 October 2018 . 29 October 2022.
  18. https://www.gridoto.com/read/221600700/kecelakaan-di-sentul-begini-kondisi-ducati-panigale-tunggangannya?page=2
  19. Web site: Kecelakaan di Sirkuit Sentul, pembalap muda Kevin Safaruddin meninggal dunia . 29 August 2022 .