Hungarian Circuit in Race Against Time to Host WorldSBK and MotoGP
Hungary’s Balaton Park circuit is just four months away from its debut in the WorldSBK championship, but the track has not yet been given the all-clear
The Balaton Park circuit in Hungary is still awaiting FIM Homologation just four months out from its debut in WorldSBK, with MotoGP scheduled to follow one month later.
With renovation work still ongoing at the circuit, officials are in a race against time to be ready for the eighth round of the WorldSBK Championship which takes place on 25-27 July.
Around one month later on 22-24 August is the scheduled Hungarian Grand Prix at the 4.115km (2.557-mile) circuit, which is located in the west of the country. If it gets the FIM Homologation it needs, Balaton Park will host round 14 of the MotoGP World Championship.
Although there’s no reason (as of yet) to think that the Hungarian round in WorldSBK and MotoGP won’t go ahead, both championships will be wanting a quick resolution as there’s been various cancelled or postponed events, especially in MotoGP, over the last few years.
The KymiRing circuit in Finland is the most notable to have been intended for MotoGP racing, only to be postponed on several occasions before being dropped altogether from the series’ plans.
The Balaton Park circuit is expected to be a long-term venue for the WorldSBK championship, and according to the FIM President Jorge Viegas, intense work is being carried out as we speak to get the circuit ready in time for July.
Viegas told Speedweek: “I was told that everything is going according to plan. The route and the safety requirements will be the same. Tome Alfonso, who is our safety officer, is closely following the renovation work in Balaton and Brno, both of which are ongoing.”
Alfonso added his own statement to Speedweek, saying: "The last FIM inspection visit to the Balaton Circuit took place on 13 February. Work on the track is underway and in accordance with the work plan we received in November, which was reviewed during the visit. The work is on schedule, meets FIM requirements, and should be completed by mid-June, weather permitting."
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After graduating with a sports journalism degree, Robert joined Crash.net to lead the WorldSBK coverage in 2021, while also providing MotoGP coverage. Fulfilling that role for over three years, Robert was able to put his knowledge about all things racing to the test.
