Sentul International Circuit is a 50,000-capacity permanent
motor racing
Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of t ...
circuit located at
Sentul City
Sentul City (previously Bukit Sentul) is a modern housing area situated at Sentul, Babakan Madang, Bogor Regency, in West Java, Indonesia. Its geographical coordinates are 6 52' 0" South, 112 26' 0" East and its original name (with diacritics) is ...
,
Babakan Madang
Babakan Madang is a district (Indonesian: ''kecamatan'') in the Bogor Regency, West Java, Indonesia. Because of the regency's recognition as part of Jakarta's larger conurbation, the regency is often considered as the city's outermost suburbs, t ...
,
Bogor Regency
Bogor Regency (Indonesian: ''Kabupaten Bogor'') is a landlocked regency (''kabupaten'') of West Java, Indonesia, south of DKI Jakarta. Covering an area of 2,986.20 km2, it is considered a bedroom community for Jakarta, and was home to 5,4 ...
,
West Java
West Java ( id, Jawa Barat, su, ᮏᮝ ᮊᮥᮜᮧᮔ᮪, romanized ''Jawa Kulon'') is a province of Indonesia on the western part of the island of Java, with its provincial capital in Bandung. West Java is bordered by the province of Banten ...
, Indonesia, near the toll gate of Jakarta towards
Bogor
Bogor ( su, , nl, Buitenzorg) is a city in the West Java province, Indonesia. Located around south of the national capital of Jakarta, Bogor is the 6th largest city in the Jakarta metropolitan area and the 14th overall nationwide.
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 main straight that allows speeds of up to 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 , and the fastest rider can do 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 . 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
Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital city, capital and list of Indonesian cities by population, largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coa ...
. 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.
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
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...
around 1990 when Hutomo Mandala Putra, motor racing enthusiast and son of President
Suharto
Suharto (; ; 8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian army officer and politician, who served as the second and the longest serving president of Indonesia. Widely regarded as a military dictator by international observers, Suharto l ...
, began promoting the construction of a track at Sentul. Racing had previously been held at the short, tight and relatively dangerous
Jaya Ancol Circuit
Jaya Ancol Circuit is the first automotive circuit in Indonesia & was built around 1970. This was the only circuit at that time and was the pride of the Indonesian people at that time. The car racing circuit in the Ancol area, North Jakarta attra ...
, on the
Java Sea
The Java Sea ( id, Laut Jawa, jv, Segara Jawa) is an extensive shallow sea on the Sunda Shelf, between the Indonesian islands of Borneo to the north, Java to the south, Sumatra to the west, and Sulawesi to the east. Karimata Strait to its no ...
coast in
North Jakarta
North Jakarta ( id, Jakarta Utara; bew, Jakarte Belilir) is one of the five administrative cities (''kota administrasi'') which form Special Capital Region of Jakarta, Indonesia. North Jakarta is not self-governed and does not have a city counc ...
. In August 1993, the circuit was officially opened by Suharto.
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. Sentul has been used for the
Superbike World Championship
Superbike World Championship (also known as WorldSBK, SBK, World Superbike, WSB, or WSBK) is a silhouette-class road racing series based on heavily modified production motorcycles, also known as superbike racing.
The championship was founded i ...
between 1994 and 1997 and the FIM
Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix
Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier class of motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start of ...
in 1996 and 1997.
The
1997 Asian Financial Crisis
The Asian financial crisis was a period of financial crisis that gripped much of East Asia and Southeast Asia beginning in July 1997 and raised fears of a worldwide economic meltdown due to financial contagion. However, the recovery in 1998– ...
worsened the situation and made motor racing an unaffordable luxury for many
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...
n 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
A1 Grand Prix (A1GP) was a "single-make" open-wheel auto racing series that ran from 2005 until 2009. It was unique in its field in that competitors solely represented their nation as opposed to themselves or a team, the usual format in most f ...
of Nations, in the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons respectively. In 2008, the
GP2 Asia Series
The GP2 Asia Series was a form of open wheel motor racing as a result of a spin-off from the GP2 series.
The series was officially announced during the weekend of the 2007 Monaco Grand Prix. GP2 series organiser Bruno Michel commented that "It i ...
raced at Sentul. A
Superstars Series
The Superstars International Series was a production-based touring car racing championship held between 2004 and 2013. It was managed by the "Superstars World of Racing SpA", SWR, a company of FG GROUP with headquarters in Rome and sanctioned by t ...
race was planned in 2012 and an
Asian Le Mans Series
The Asian Le Mans Series is an Asian sports car racing endurance series created by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and based in Asia. It is the successor to the defunct Japan Le Mans Challenge which folded in 2007 after its second season. ...
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. Due to the rapid rise in popularity of
Formula One
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
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
Dorna Sports, S.L. is the commercial rights' holder for the motorcycling sport of Grand Prix racing.
Established in 1988 as an international sports management and marketing company, it is headquartered in Madrid, with branch offices and/or subs ...
would eventually gave the hosting rights for the return of the
Indonesian motorcycle Grand Prix
The Indonesian motorcycle Grand Prix is a motorcycling event that is part of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Championship. There have been three Grand Prix events held; in 1996 and 1997, both at the Sentul International Circuit, Bogor, We ...
Lombok
Lombok is an island in West Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia. It forms part of the chain of the Lesser Sunda Islands, with the Lombok Strait separating it from Bali to the west and the Alas Strait between it and Sumbawa to the east. It is ...
instead of Sentul, which was held in March 2022.
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
Para-cycling (or Paracycling) is the sport of cycling adapted for cyclists who have various disabilities. It is governed by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). The sport consists of seven different events which include road and track races. ...
road race for the
2018 Asian Para Games
The 2018 Asian Para Games ( id, Pesta Olahraga Difabel Asia 2018, ''Asian Para Games 2018''), officially known as the 3rd Asian Para Games and also known as Indonesia 2018, was a pan-Asian multi-sport event that held from 6 to 13 October 2018 ...
.
Track description
* Track length:
* Width:
* Longest straight:
*
FIA
FIA is the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (English: International Automobile Federation), the world's governing body for all forms of motor sport where four or more wheels are used.
Fia or FIA may also refer to: People
* Fia Backs ...
Motocross
Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom.
History
Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competiti ...
,
Autocross
Autocross (also called "Solo", "Auto-x" or "Autoslalom") is a timed competition in which drivers navigate one at a time through a defined course on either a sealed or an unsealed surface. It is a form of motorsports that emphasizes safe competitio ...
and
Go-Kart
A go-kart, also written as go-cart (often referred to as simply a kart), is a type of sports car, close wheeled car, open-wheel car or quadracycle. Go-karts come in all shapes and forms, from non-motorised models to high-performance racing ...
s Circuits
* Three-star International Hotel
* Bungalows / Guest House
* International Golf Course
* Restaurant
* Recreation Centre
Lap records
The official race lap records at the Sentul International Circuit are listed as:
List of motor racing tracks
This is a list of auto racing and moto racing circuits sorted by country.
Note: Circuits carrying a "" were, are, or will be hosting Formula One and/or MotoGP Grand Prix.
Andorra Ice racing circuits
*Pas de la Casa (Pic Maiá), Andorra la Vella ...