When you think of Thailand, you most likely see paradisiacal beaches, exotic temples and street food that is at least as fancy as it is delicious. Since 2018, the holiday paradise with its motorsport-crazy inhabitants has got one more attraction: the Chang International Circuit has become home to a Grand Prix and will once again attract thousands of motorsport fans who want to see their two-wheeled heroes fight live for the much-coveted World Championship points to its grandstand at the end of this week.
The circuit was designed by the German grandmaster of racetrack architecture Hermann Tilke, who was also responsible for the layouts of the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, the Circuit of The Americas in Texas and the Formula 1 circuit in Baku (Azerbaijan). The name ‘Chang’ is derived from the beer whose state-owned brewery has helped finance the construction since the start in 2014. Among spectators, Buriram is considered very special because, unlike most other circuits, the special construction of the main grandstand on the roof of the pit building means that virtually the entire track is visible, which contributes to the beautiful atmosphere of the circuit.
A distance of 400km separates the location of the Circuit Buriram, which can be translated as “city of joy”, from the Thai capital Bangkok. The 4.5km-long layout can be divided into 2 main sections, the first of which is characterised by three long straights interrupted by tight and slow corners. The second part of the course offers a sequence of curves to be ridden at different speeds and is therefore far more fluid.
The typical key features of the South East Asian climate are hot and humid, which makes riding here a particularly physically demanding affair for pilots #43 Xavi Artigas and #99 Carlos Tatay. From experience, the Thailand GP is known for its exciting and great atmosphere with its fans who have an incredible passion for motorsport. The aim of the CFMOTO Racing PruestelGP riders for the coming weekend will be to make Buriram literally a place of joy for them as well.
#99 Carlos Tatay
“The outcome of the last race was rather unfavourable for us, but we have the potential to improve here in Thailand. One point we definitely have to keep in mind for the weekend ahead is my acceleration. The track has long straights, especially considering my weight, it is important to optimise the bike and my riding style to get everything out of it. ”
#43 Xavier Artigas
“It’s my first time in Thailand, a really interesting track. I particularly like the more twisty section, there are a lot of challenging braking points here. As it looks so far, it’s going to be a wet race weekend, which makes it even more exciting. We have to see that we make the right decisions here in terms of our strategy.”
Timetable of the OR Thailand Grand Prix 30 SEP – 02 OCT fot the Moto3™
FRIDAY, 30 SEP 2022
04:00 – 04:50 Uhr (CET)
08:15 – 08:55 (CET)
Moto3™
Moto3™
Free Practice Nr. 1
Free Practice Nr. 2
SATURDAY, 01 OCT 2022
04:00 – 04:40 Uhr (CET)
Moto3™
Free Practice Nr. 3
07:35 – 07:50 Uhr (CET)
Moto3™
Qualifying Nr. 1
08:00 – 08:15 Uhr (CET)
Moto3™
Qualifying Nr. 2
SUNDAY, 02 OCT 2022
05:00 – 05:10 Uhr (CET)
Moto3™
Warm Up
07:00 Uhr (CET)
Moto3™
Race (22 Laps)
