MotoGP could finally have a Hungarian Grand Prix again as a race at the brand-new Balaton Park venue has been officially added to the 2025 calendar with backing from ex-Formula 1 test driver Chanoch Nissany.
Last year it was announced Balaton Park would serve as a reserve circuit for the 2024 MotoGP calendar alongside a debut round for World Superbikes. But the WSBK event was cancelled and it didn't appear on this year's MotoGP calendar despite the cancellation of the Kazakh, Indian and Argentinian rounds.
Now there's the promise of Balaton Park holding a 2025 MotoGP event on August 22-24. If that goes ahead it will mark the first race in Hungary of the modern MotoGP era, with the last premier-class motorcycle race (500cc) taking place in 1992 at the Hungaroring.
Last year's announcement said the Hungaroring would hold the 2025 event but now the Balaton Park venue, which opened in 2023, is set to hold a MotoGP race for the first time. It will also hold a WSBK round on July 25-27 next year, one month before the MotoGP event - which organisers consider a trial run for the grand prix series, though they also hope MotoGP teams can test at the track first.
MotoGP's deal with Hungarian promoter HUMDA is for 10 years, the first three of which will definitely be at Balaton before a decision on whether it stays there for the longer term or could move to the Hungaroring.
Changes have and will continue to be made to the original Balaton Park circuit to ensure it meets the FIM Grade A licence requirements needed to host MotoGP and WSBK races.
The high-speed Turn 7 right-hander will be split up by two smaller radius corners with increased run-off. A chicane will be implemented at Turn 11 to reduce speeds and increase overtaking opportunities. There will also be a new hotel installed at the track and a more technical corner combination beneath it. Organisers have preserved the 2.6-mile track length while making the changes, with the work beginning in October and planned to be completed by April next year.
Much of the track testing has been conducted by Roy Nissany, a former Williams F1 test driver and son of Chanoch, who was also an F1 test driver in the mid-2000s (pictured below).
Chanoch Nissany heads a group of investors who own the circuit and who hope to end a history of failed attempts to bring MotoGP back to Hungary.
The first of those came in 2009 when plans to race at a purpose-built venue Balatonring never came to fruition. Then there were proposals drawn up for another new venue outside Hungary's second-largest city Debrecen. The event had Victor Orban's government backing but never happened.
Doubts surrounded last year's announcement that the Hungaroring would host a 2025 round given the circuit's unsuitability for bikes in its current form.
Though Balaton has so far only been used for car racing, getting top-level motorcycle championships to the circuit has always been a major part of its creators’ plans given F1 already has a solid Hungarian home at the Hungaroring.
The Balaton venue is comparable to Misano in location, situated in a coastal area popular for holidays.
Portimao is considered most likely to lose its slot on the MotoGP calendar to make way for Balaton.
