Rain supreme!

BUILD IT AND they will come. Never mind that the track surface was coming apart or the grandstands were empty for much of the weekend, MotoGP finally made its long-awaited return to Indonesia. And the trials and tribulations over the three days were such that everyone was just relieved there was a race come sundown on Sunday.

And a pretty good race it was at that. In many ways the deluge of rain that arrived just after Moto2 and delayed the main event by 75 minutes saved the show. Such were the concerns that parts of the track surface of the picturesque Mandalika International Street Circuit would be unable to withstand the various forces put into the ground by grand prix prototypes in the dry, the MotoGP race was shortened from 27 laps to 20, while Moto2 was cut from 25 to 16.

As it was, the rain storm abated just in time so as the lower-than-expected attendance of 62,923 fans could see MotoGP action for the first time on Indonesian soil since 1997. Despite having barely any running in these conditions all weekend, Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM) showcased devastating