The Mandalika circuit in Indonesia debuted in 2022, and it’s a real distinctive and in my opinion fun track to ride. Yes, it’s got the slow and medium speed corners that you’ll see on other tracks, but it’s also got some good high speed sections that are satisfying to nail when you carry speed and get the turn in correct.

It’s also a pretty easy track to learn, and has large run off areas that are quite forgiving. In terms of bike setup, it seems there’s actually multiple different routes you can down that can all give you good lap times.

I actually tested multiple different setups, but in the end went for basically my Mugello setup, very slightly modded and adapted for this track.

Here is a bike setup for the MotoGP class for Mandalika:

• Suspension (Front Fork):
  • • Front pre-load – 2
    • Oil Quantity – 4
    • Front Spring Hardness – 1
    • Front Swingarm compression – 4
    • Front Swingarm extension – 1
• Rear Single Shock Absorber:
  • • Rear Pre-load – 7
    • Swingarm connector – 4
    • Rear spring hardness – 4
    • Single shock absorber compression – 4
    • Single shock absorber extension – 7
• Vehicle Geometry:
  • • Steering head inclination – 2
    • Trail – 7
    • Steering plate position – 7
    • Rear swingarm length – 2
• Transmission:
  • • Gears (1-6) – 3-4-5-6-5-4
    • Final ratio – 5
    • Slipper clutch – 7
• Brakes:
  • • Front disc – 355 mm
    • Rear disc – 220 mm
• ECU
  • • Traction control – 2
    • Engine braking – 5
    • Anti-wheelie – 3
    • Power mapping – 2

It’s basically just a minor tweaking of the ECU settings, but other than that it’s the same setup. I liked the cornering and turn in characteristics of my Mugello setup, so I tried it here and did get better results than using other setups. So that’s what I’m going for at the moment round this track. I’m also using max front brake discs, which most players aren’t on this track, so tweak to your own preference as needed.

Alternate Bike Setup #1 For Mandalika (MotoGP)

There’s different setups you can use at this track and still set strong lap times, so it all depends on which setup you feel most comfortable with.

Here’s an alternate setup for Mandalika using different settings parameters:

• Suspension (Front Fork):
  • • Front pre-load – 1
    • Oil Quantity – 4
    • Front Spring Hardness – 2
    • Front Swingarm compression – 2
    • Front Swingarm extension – 2
• Rear Single Shock Absorber:
  • • Rear Pre-load – 4
    • Swingarm connector – 1
    • Rear spring hardness – 2
    • Single shock absorber compression – 1
    • Single shock absorber extension – 4
• Vehicle Geometry:
  • • Steering head inclination – 3
    • Trail – 4
    • Steering plate position – 5
    • Rear swingarm length – 2
• Transmission:
  • • Gears (1-6) – 5-6-6-6-6-6
    • Final ratio – 6
    • Slipper clutch – 3
• Brakes:
  • • Front disc – 340 mm
    • Rear disc – 220 mm
• ECU
  • • Traction control – 3
    • Engine braking – 3
    • Anti-wheelie – 3
    • Power mapping – 3

This setup uses some “softer” values for the suspension/geometry, and I did manage to set some good times with this also. But I didn’t feel as comfortable or consistent driving it as the first setup. But everyone’s different so test it out and see what you think.

Alternate Bike Setup #2 For Mandalika (MotoGP)

There’s yet another setup I tested that also did deliver some decent lap times, but again for me the Mugello setup felt easier to ride and delivered the best lap times. But this one’s perfectly fine as well.

Here’s another alternate setup for MotoGP bikes at Mandalika:

• Suspension (Front Fork):
  • • Front pre-load – 1
    • Oil Quantity – 1
    • Front Spring Hardness – 2
    • Front Swingarm compression – 7
    • Front Swingarm extension – 3
• Rear Single Shock Absorber:
  • • Rear Pre-load – 7
    • Swingarm connector – 3
    • Rear spring hardness – 3
    • Single shock absorber compression – 3
    • Single shock absorber extension – 7
• Vehicle Geometry:
  • • Steering head inclination – 4
    • Trail – 4
    • Steering plate position – 7
    • Rear swingarm length – 1
• Transmission:
  • • Gears (1-6) – 4-4-5-5-5-6
    • Final ratio – 5
    • Slipper clutch – 3
• Brakes:
  • • Front disc – 320 mm
    • Rear disc – 220 mm
• ECU
  • • Traction control – 3
    • Engine braking – 4
    • Anti-wheelie – 3
    • Power mapping – 3

This setup goes back to using stiffer values again, and again I did alright with this setup but it wasn’t my favourite. Try it out against the others and see what you think.

Moto2 and Moto3 Bike Setups For Mandalika

The less powerful and easier to control Moto2 and Moto3 class bikes are easier to get around this track, and width of the circuit combined with large run off areas that mostly aren’t sand/gravel make it even easier.

However, if you also want a custom bike setup for these classes, see our MotoGP 22 generic setups page, which also has bespoke starter setups for Moto2/Moto3 as well that you can test against a default setup to find improvements.

Tips For Riding Around Mandalika

I don’t think there’s massive amount more to say about Mandalika, as it’s a pretty straightforward and easy track to learn. Because it is new for the MotoGP 22 game, it might take a few goes to get the layout memorized. But it’s not as complex as some other circuits.

Layout – Here’s how I memorize the track, breaking it into sections:

• First part – Right—right–left hairpin (double apex)—short blast
• Middle part – 2 fast right kinks——fast right-left-right section—–right hairpin
• Last part – Right-left-left-right section—–short straight—-very sharp right hairpin—-left hairpin

Gaining lap time – The main place you gain time on this track is in the fast “kinks” in the middle of the lap. It’s about carrying as much speed as possible and nailing the perfect turn in point, but also not over-doing it and getting corner cutting warnings.