Sentul International Circuit

Sentul International Circuit
Location	Sentul City, Indonesia
Time zone	GMT+7
Major events	ATCC, GP2 Asia, Asian F3, Formula BMW Asia, Formula V6 Asia, MotoGP
Length	3.965 km (2.464 mi)
Turns	11
Race lap record	1:15.686 ( Bruno Senna, Trust Team Arden, 2008, GP2 Asia Series)

Sentul International Circuit is a 50,000-capacity^[1] permanent motor racing circuit located at Sentul City, Babakan Madang, Bogor, near the Toll Gate of Jakarta towards Bogor Regency, Indonesia.^[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 900-metre (3,000 ft) main straight that allows speeds of up to 300 kilometres per hour (190 mph) 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 220 kilometres per hour (140 mph), and the fastest rider can do 190 kilometres per hour (120 mph) 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 140 kilometres per hour (87 mph). The wide corners allow good passing with various racing lines.

Sentul is located in Bogor Regency. It is a hilly area 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 Ancol Circuit, on the Java Sea coast in north Jakarta. In August 1993, the circuit was officially opened by Suharto.^[2]

While Sentul International Circuit was intended to be Indonesia's Formula Two showcase to the world, its tight corners and shortened length (4.12 km in total) rendered it unsuitable for Formula One. 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. Sentul was nearly included in 1997 Formula One provisional calendar but never came into fruition.

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.^[4] 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 planned to be held in March 2022.^[5]^[6]

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.^[7]

Track description[]

Track length: 3.965 km (2.464 mi)
Width: 15 metres (49 ft)
Longest straight: 900 metres (3,000 ft)
FIA Grade 2 track license ^[8]
50 pit garages
2 covered grandstands

Other facilities include:

Motocross, Autocross and Go-Karts Circuits
Three-star International Hotel
Bungalows / Guest House
International Golf Course
Restaurant
Recreation Centre

Lap records[]

The lap records at the Sentul International Circuit are listed as:

Category	Time	Driver	Vehicle	Event
Grand Prix Circuit: 3.965 km
GP2 Asia	1:15.686	Bruno Senna	Dallara GP2/08	2008 Sentul GP2 Asia Series round
A1 GP	1:18.110	Robbie Kerr	Lola B05/52	2006–07 A1 Grand Prix of Nations, Indonesia
500cc	1:26.141	Tadayuki Okada	Honda NSR500 (NV0X)	1997 Indonesian motorcycle Grand Prix
World SBK	1:27.151^[9]	John Kocinski	Honda RVF750 RC45	1997 Sentul World SBK round
250cc	1:28.256	Max Biaggi	Honda NSR250	1997 Indonesian motorcycle Grand Prix
125cc	1:34.044	Valentino Rossi	Aprilia RS125	1997 Indonesian motorcycle Grand Prix

Events[]

Indonesian motorcycle Grand Prix[]

Season	Winner 500cc	Winner 250cc	Winner 125cc	Report
1996	Mick Doohan	Tetsuya Harada	Masaki Tokudome	report
1997	Tadayuki Okada	Max Biaggi	Valentino Rossi	report

A1 Grand Prix[]

Season	Sprint Race Winner	Feature Race Winner	Report
2005–06	Nicolas Lapierre		report
2006–07	Jonny Reid	Jonny Reid	report

GP2 Asia[]

Season	Race 1 Winner	Race 2 Winner
2008	Sébastien Buemi	Fairuz Fauzy

Asian Formula 3[]

Series 2005

Round	Race Winner	Fastest Lap
10		(1'24.594)
9		(1'24.791)
8	Ananda Mikola	(1'25.092)
7		(1'25.221)

Series 2006

Round	Race Winner	Fastest Lap
15	Cancelled	Cancelled
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)