Balaton Park Circuit Gears Up for Superbike and MotoGP

The Balaton Park Circuit in Balatonfőkajár (western Hungary, near Lake Balaton) is set to host the MotoGP, the highest class of motorcycle road racing events, and the Hungarian round of the Superbike World Championship, Turizmus.com reports.

At last week’s press conference held as part of the official testing of MotoGP teams and riders, Ádám Schmidt, State Secretary for Sport, said that motorsport enjoys significant public support not only in Hungary but also in the Central and Eastern European region. The state secretary noted that this year will be a special one for Hungary in terms of auto motorsports, with the 40th Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix taking place at the renovated Hungaroring on the first weekend of August, as well as the Superbike World Championship and the Grand Prix motorcycle racing (MotoGP).

Szilvia Szondy, President and CEO of HUMDA Zrt., said it was a significant moment in the life of their company that, after several years of negotiations, they had managed to reach an agreement with Dorna, the rights holder of Superbike and the MotoGP, as this would allow Hungary to put itself on the world map through motorsports after Formula 1.

The contract is for 10 years for both series, but it is certain that the MotoGP race will be held at this track for three years for the time being, and it is possible that there will be a change of venue later,”

she said. Ticket sales are progressing as expected and ticket prices for each category are the lowest in the region, much cheaper than in the Czech Republic or Austria, she added.

“We hope that the races here will inspire many young people to take up this sport. HUMDA launched a motorsport academy several years ago, as it is our mission to find talent. In recent years, we have supported 29 riders and two teams, and we will continue to do so with the aim of getting as many Hungarian riders as possible to compete in these series as soon as possible,” she explained.

Spanish Pol Espargaró, test rider for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, on MotoGP test day in Balatonfőkajár on June 26, 2025. Photo: MTI/Vasvári Tamás

Adrienn Walterné Dancsó, operational director of Balaton Park Circuit, reported on the work that had to be done to obtain the license required to host the motorcycle world championship series. “We had to modify certain parts of the track, primarily to make it safer, that meant increasing the size of the run-off areas. As a result of the modification, the length of the track will be reduced from 4,115 meters to 4,074 meters when motorcyclists use the track.

Of course, all modifications were carried out with the consent and permission of the International Motorcycling Federation and in accordance with its recommendations, that was necessary for the track to obtain the highest category license,”

she said.

Spanish Augusto Fernandez, Yamaha Factory Racing rider, on the MotoGP test day. Photo: MTI/Vasvári Tamás

Gábor Talmácsi, the 2007 world champion in the 125cc class (now Moto3), said that hosting the two world championship series in Hungary opens up new perspectives in terms of training the next generation. “The track itself consists of 10 left-hand and 7 right-hand turns, thus there is good synergy in terms of the turns, and new overtaking points have been created, that will make the races even more exciting.

In terms of the spectator experience, we can expect some very spectacular races, not only for those sitting in the main grandstand on the home straight, but also for those who buy tickets for the mobile grandstands that will be built,”

he revealed.

The Hungarian round of the Superbike World Championship will be held on July 25-27, and the MotoGP weekend will take place on August 22-24 in Balatonfőkajár.

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