Galang Hendra Pratama (born 10 March 1999) is an Indonesian motorcycle rider competing in Supersport World 300 Championship. He is the first Indonesian rider to win a motorcycle race on world championship level.
Career
Early career
Pratama started racing at 7-year-old in local mini moto championships and motocross. He then switched to road race in early 2010. His achievements on these levels were good, as he won 2013 Motoprix in the beginner class, Yamaha Cup Race round 1 & 2, and Asean Cup Race runner up in MT class. The following year saw him reach runner-up in Indonesian Racing Series (IRS) Underbone 110cc and 3rd in 125cc class. Pratama scored a total of 3 wins in the same classes in 2014 with 2 wins in 125cc class and once in 110cc class. He also competed in Yamaha Sunday Race and finished 9th overall in R25 Pro class.[1]
Pratama was recruited by Yamaha Racing Indonesia to compete in Asia Road Racing Championship AP250 class in 2015, aboard a Yamaha YZF-R25. In his maiden season he finished top 10 in the standings, or 9th to be exact. For the following year, the Yogyakarta-born rider earned 2 podiums (2nd in race 2 Thailand 2nd round at Chang International Circuit, and 3rd in 5th round at Buddh International Circuit). He ranked 5th at the end of season.
2017 saw Galang's first win in the AP250 class at round 5 at Madras in race 2. Previously, he finished 3rd in the first race. His victory ended Honda's winning streak at 9.[3] In the overall standings, Pratama ranked 6th.[4]
Pratama was called up to race in 2018 as a replacement of fellow Indonesian Muhammad Faerozi who was out due to an injury. He raced the final round of the season, ranked 8th in the first race and 9th in the second race.[5]
Supersport 300 World Championship
2017
Through Yamaha Indonesia and Yamaha Europe connection, Pratama was sent to Italy to train at Valentino Rossi's VR46 Academy in 2016. He was also selected to race in the World Supersport 300 (WSS300) 2017 as a wildcard at Portimão round in Portugal, aboard a Yamaha YZF-R3. His first race did not go well as he failed to finish.[6]
Pratama earned his second chance to race at round 9 at Jerez. Unexpectedly, he won the race and put himself in the record book as the first Indonesian rider to win a race on world championship level.[7][8] This achievement raised many eyebrows as he only competed as a wild card and not expected to win the race on his first ever outing at the Spanish race track. He finished 14th in the standings with 25 points from 2 races.[9]
2018
Galang's extraordinary results in the previous season secured him a full-time ride for the following season. He was contracted by BIBLION YAMAHA MOTOXRACING. In the first 2 races, he was struggling to get a decent results but he was able to overcome the issue by finishing top 10 at Imola, and Donington Park. Pratama scored another victory in WSS300 class by finishing first at Brno.[10] In total, he achieved 53 points and reached 10th in the final riders' standings.[11]
2019
Pratama once again appointed by Yamaha to race in 2019 World Supersport 300, having passed bLU cRU Masterclass[check spelling] selection. He completed the season in 7th position with 64 points.[12]
Supersport World Championship
2020
After spending 2 full seasons in World Supersport 300, he was confirmed to be promoted to Supersport World Championship alongside French rider Andy Verdoia, racing for bLU cRU Yamaha WorldSSP Team in 2020 season.[13] He was the first Indonesian rider to race in the class since Doni Tata Pradita in 2009 season.
He returned to race for Yamaha Indonesia in ARRC AP250 class for 2022 season.[15]
Second stint at WSS300
In 2023, he made a return to WSS300 class to race in 3 rounds for MS Racing, the same team he raced for in 2020.[16] He even raced in the Czech round at Autodrom Mostof that season with his younger brother Aldi Satya Mahendra who raced as a wildcard for BrCorse, and his brother later won the second race.[17]
For 2024 season, he is scheduled to race for ProGP team.[18]
Personal life
Galang's parents are Dicky Hestu Prahendra (father) and Desi Prasanti (mother), both are retired motorcycle racers active locally in the 1990s.[19] He is the eldest child of 4 siblings, one of his younger brothers is Aldi Satya Mahendra, also a motorcycle racer who won the Supersport 300 World Championshipin 2024.[20][21] His hobbies outside racing are playing videogames, cycling and music.[4] He was graduated from SMPN 2 Sewon Bantul and SMA Gajah Mada Yogyakarta.[20]
Career statistics
Indoprix
Races by year
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
