Sentul International Circuit

Sentul International Circuit

Grand Prix Circuit (1993–present)
Location	Sentul City, Bogor Regency, West Java, Indonesia
Time zone	UTC+07:00
Coordinates	6°32′9.1″S106°51′24.4″E / 6.535861°S 106.856778°E / -6.535861; 106.856778
Capacity	50,000
Broke ground	January 1992;33 years ago (1992-01)
Opened	21 August 1993;31 years ago (1993-08-21)
Major 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)
Website	https://sentulinternationalcircuit.com/
Grand Prix Circuit (1993–present)
Length	3.965 km (2.464 miles)
Turns	11
Race lap record	1:15.686 ( Bruno Senna, Dallara GP2/05, 2008, 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 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.

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 3.965 km (2.464 mi) 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

• Track length: 3.965 km (2.464 mi)
• Width: 15 m (49 ft)
• Longest straight: 900 m (3,000 ft)
• FIA Grade 2 track license ^[9]
• 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

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)
GP2 Asia	1:15.686	Bruno Senna	Dallara GP2/05	2008 Sentul GP2 Asia Series round
A1GP	1:18.110	Robbie Kerr	Lola A1GP	2006–07 A1 Grand Prix of Nations, Indonesia
Formula Renault 3.5	1:22.824 [10]	Matthew Halliday	Tatuus FRV6	2006 Sentul Formula V6 Asia round
Formula Three	1:24.594 [11]	Tyson Sy	Dallara F304	2005 2nd Sentul Asian F3 round
500cc	1:26.141	Tadayuki Okada	Honda NSR500 (NV0X)	1997 Indonesian motorcycle Grand Prix
World SBK	1:27.151 [12]	John Kocinski	Honda RVF750 RC45	1997 Sentul World SBK round
250cc	1:28.256	Max Biaggi	Honda NSR250	1997 Indonesian motorcycle Grand Prix
Porsche Carrera Cup	1:29.786 [13]	Rodolfo Ávila	Porsche 911 (997) GT3 S	2009 Sentul Porsche Carrera Cup Asia round
Supersport	1:30.131 [14]	Ahmad Yudhistira	Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R	2016 Sentul ARRC round
Formula BMW	1:32.040 [15]	Rio Haryanto	Mygale FB02	2009 Sentul Formula BMW Pacific round
Stock car racing	1:32.316 [16]	Ananda Mikola	Speedcar V8	2008 Sentul Speedcar round
World SSP	1:32.803	Vittoriano Guareschi	Yamaha YZF600R	1997 Sentul Supersport World Series round
125cc	1:34.044	Valentino Rossi	Aprilia RS125	1997 Indonesian motorcycle Grand Prix
Asia Production 250	1:42.350 [17]	Rheza Danica Ahrens	Honda CBR250RR	2018 Sentul ARRC round
Asia Underbone 150	1:49.304 [18]	Muhammad Agung Fachrul	Yamaha T-150	2018 Sentul ARRC round

Events

Current

• April: Indonesia Sentul Series of Motorsport
• May: Indonesia Sentul Series of Motorsport
• July: Indonesia Sentul Series of Motorsport
• August: Indonesia Sentul Series of Motorsport
• October: Indonesia Sentul Series of Motorsport
• November: Indonesia Sentul Series of Motorsport

Former

• A1 Grand Prix (2 times in 2006)
• Asia Road Racing Championship (1996–2000, 2002–2018)
• Asia Talent Cup (2014)
• Asian Formula Three Championship (2004–2005, 2007)
• Asian Touring Car Championship (2006–2009, 2011)
• Formula 4 South East Asia Championship (2016)
• Formula Asia (1996–1997)
• Formula BMW Asia (2006–2009, 2011)
• Formula V6 Asia (2006–2008)
• GP2 Asia Series (2008)
• Grand Prix motorcycle racing
  • Indonesian motorcycle Grand Prix (1996–1997)
• Indonesian Grand Prix (1993)
• Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia (2014–2015)
• Oneprix (2007)
• Pertamina 6 Hours Endurance (2024)
• Porsche Carrera Cup Asia (2006–2009)
• Speedcar Series (2008)
• Superbike World Championship (1994–1997)
• Supersport World Series (1997)

Events winners

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

Superbike World Championship

Season	Race 1	Race 2	Report
1994	Jamie Whitham	Carl Fogarty	Report
1995	Carl Fogarty	Aaron Slight	Report
1996	John Kocinski	John Kocinski	Report
1997	John Kocinski	Carl Fogarty	Report

A1 Grand Prix

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

GP2 Asia

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

Speedcar Series

Season	Race 1 Winner	Race 2 Winner	Report
2008	Jean Alesi	Uwe Alzen	Report

Asian Formula 3

Series 2005

Round	Race Winner	Fastest 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

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)

Fatalities

• Iqbal Hakeem - 2019 Private Test. ^[19]
• Kevin Safaruddin Madria - 2022 Idemitsu bLU CRu Yamaha Sunday Race. ^[20]

See also

• Indonesia portal

• List of motor racing tracks

References

1. Mau Gelar MotoGP, Tribun Sirkuit Sentul Bakal Jauh Lebih Besar dari Stadion GBK
2. "Sentul International Circuit". asianf3.net. 2007. Archived from the original on 10 October 2008. Retrieved 31 December 2008.
3. "Porsche Carrera Cup Asia 2008 – Round 7 & 8". porsche.com. 20 July 2008. Retrieved 31 December 2008.
4. David Hayhoe, Formula 1: The Knowledge – 2nd Edition, 2021, page 36
5. Indonesia Resmi Jadi Tuan Rumah Moto GP 2017, Kompas TV, accessed 20 November 2015.
6. Iswara, Aditya Jaya. "Resmi! Sirkuit Mandalika Tuan Rumah MotoGP 2021". Good News From Indonesia (in Indonesian). Retrieved 3 April 2019.
7. "Sirkuit Mandalika Batal Gelar MotoGP 2021, Seri Indonesia Direncanakan Berlangsung Maret 2022". Tribunnews.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 9 April 2021.
8. "18 Sports and Venues You Need To Know in The Asian Para Games 2018!" . Retrieved 11 November 2018.
9. "Ketika Indonesia jadi tuan rumah "Piala Dunia"". 17 August 2018.
10. "2006 Formula V6 Asia Sentul (Race 1)". 23 July 2006. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
11. "2005 Asian Formula 3 Championship Round 5: Sentul, 18th-19th September". 19 September 2005. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
12. "1997-10-10 to 1997-10-12 World Superbike Indonesian Round Race 2". 12 October 1997. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
13. "2009 Asian Festival of Speed - Sentul Indonesia - Porsche Carrera Cup Asia - Race 1". 15 August 2009. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
14. "2016 Asia Road Racing Championship Rd 4 - Sentul International Circuit, Indonesia Supersports 600cc - Race 2 Official Result" (PDF). 7 August 2016. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
15. "2009 Asian Festival of Speed - Sentul Indonesia - Formula BMW Pacific - Race 2". 12 August 2009. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
16. "2008 Speedcar Series Sentul, 16th-17th February". 17 February 2008. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
17. "2018 Asia Road Racing Championship Sentul International Circuit, Indonesia Asia Production 250cc - Race 2 Official Result" (PDF). 14 October 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
18. "2018 Asia Road Racing Championship Sentul International Circuit, Indonesia Underbone 150cc - Race 2 Official Result" (PDF). 13 October 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
19. Nurradifan, Agilvi Oktora (13 January 2019). "Kecelakaan di Sentul, Begini Kondisi Ducati Panigale Tunggangannya" [Accident in Sentul, Here's the Condition of the Ducati Panigale Rike]. GridOto (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 1 November 2022.
20. "Kecelakaan di Sirkuit Sentul, pembalap muda Kevin Safaruddin meninggal dunia". 29 August 2022.

External links

• Official Website
• Trackpedia's guide to racing and driving the Sentul Circuit Archived 11 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine
• Track info from AFOS Official Website