MotoGP Mandalika volunteers have already topped 2,500 sign-ups since applications opened on August 24, and organizers are struggling to keep pace with the response. On the very first day of interviews, 1,140 people showed up, more than double the typical daily average from previous years, forcing the Mandalika Grand Prix Association (MGPA) to reorganize its queue system and open a holding room just to manage the crowd.
Who Are the MotoGP Mandalika Volunteers Signing Up
The roles on offer span security, crowd control, hospitality, marshaling, and ticketing, the full range of jobs needed to keep an event the size of a Grand Prix weekend running smoothly. Applicants come from noticeably varied backgrounds too: students, young professionals, and housewives are all represented in the pool, according to MGPA. Around 60 percent of registrants are from Lombok Tengah, the regency that hosts the circuit, with the rest arriving from Mataram City, Lombok Barat, and even outside NTB entirely.
Nurjanah Firdaus Dewi, MGPA’s Human Capital and General Affair Manager, said the number of applicants in a single day already exceeded the average recorded across an entire previous season, which pushed the team to rework how interviews were scheduled. One applicant, Intan Karina Lestari, summed up her own reason for signing up simply: she wanted to meet new people and gain experience from being part of an international event on her home island.
The scramble to accommodate applicants has been visible on the ground in Lombok Tengah, where MGPA staff added extra waiting areas and staggered interview slots after the first day’s turnout ran well past what the venue was originally set up for. Rather than turning latecomers away, organizers extended the recruitment window to give the overflow of applicants a fair shot at a slot.
How MotoGP Mandalika Chooses Its Volunteers
Getting a spot isn’t automatic. Applicants go through an interview process with selection based on prior experience, technical qualifications relevant to the specific role, and interpersonal skills, since many volunteer positions involve direct contact with visiting fans, riders, and international media. Local applicants are given priority, in keeping with the event’s broader push to route economic benefit toward Lombok Tengah communities rather than importing outside staff.
That local-first approach fits a pattern. The 2025 edition of the race alone was estimated to have supported more than 3,000 local jobs and around 600 small businesses (UMKM) operating near the circuit, contributing to a national economic impact figure of roughly Rp4.96 trillion. Volunteering is a smaller piece of that picture, but for many applicants it’s a direct way into an event most would otherwise only watch from the stands.
Why the Surge Matters Ahead of October
This is the fifth consecutive year Mandalika has hosted MotoGP, and each edition has built on the last in terms of both spectator numbers and local participation. Organizers are targeting 145,000 spectators across the October 9 to 11 race weekend, and a volunteer pool this large, and this early, suggests the event has moved from a novelty locals watched from a distance to something the surrounding community actively wants to be part of running.
It also mirrors what’s happening on the ticketing side. Sales have climbed steadily through the year’s presale phases and now sit close to half the target attendance, months ahead of race weekend, another sign that both visitor and local interest are building earlier than in past seasons.
If you’re planning to be on the island for race week yourself, it’s worth booking early. A beachfront stay on the quieter Senggigi to Mangsit side of the island, a comfortable hour or so from the circuit, tends to fill up well before October once the pre-race buzz picks up.
This article draws on reporting from SUARANTB and Radar Lombok.
Whether that early momentum holds through September, when the second presale window closes and race week logistics really ramp up, will say a lot about how MotoGP has settled into the local calendar after five years. For now, both the volunteer sign-up sheet and the ticket count point the same direction.
How many volunteers has MotoGP Mandalika 2026 received?
More than 2,500 people had registered as of late August 2026, since applications opened on August 24, with 1,140 interviewed on the first day alone.
What roles are available for MotoGP Mandalika volunteers?
Volunteer roles include security, crowd control, hospitality, marshaling, and ticketing, covering the operational needs of the race weekend.
Who can apply to volunteer at MotoGP Mandalika?
Applications are open to the public, with priority given to local applicants from Lombok Tengah and the wider NTB region, subject to an interview and selection process.