Mario Aji Refining Riding Style Ahead of 2026 Moto2 Indonesian GP

Jakarta: Indonesian rider Mario Suryo Aji is refining his riding style ahead of the 2026 Moto2 Indonesian Grand Prix (GP) at the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit in Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB).

To that end, Mario—who races for the Idemitsu Honda Team Asia—is focusing on performance adjustments after Saturday's second free practice (FP2) session.

"It’s more about riding style, because our bike setup hasn't changed much from the initial one," Mario said after FP2.

The rider from Magetan, East Java, stated that he and his team have devised a strategy to boost performance ahead of Qualifying 1 (Q1) on Saturday afternoon and the race on Sunday October 11.

According to the organizers' statistics, the 22-year-old rider started the first day by finishing 16th in FP1. Later, during the afternoon practice session, he crashed at Turn 1 near the end of the session.

The incident halted his attempt to improve his lap time, leaving him in 23rd place and forcing him to continue his campaign in Q1. In FP1, he ranked 19th with a fastest lap of 1 minute 33.194 seconds.

Meanwhile, BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 rider Izan Guevara put in a dominant performance, topping both FP1 and the practice session. He clocked a time of 1 minute 32.337 seconds during the practice session, setting a new lap record at the Mandalika International Circuit.

This 2026 season appearance at Mandalika marks Mario Suryo Aji's fourth time racing at the venue. That experience is expected to help in understanding the circuit's characteristics and finding the right approach to tackle the competition in the Moto2 class.