The Hungarian Liguramuri is back for the first time in over 30 years, and MotoGP heads for the new Balaton Park Circuit.
MotoGP has a relatively short history of competition in Hungary.
The first took place in Hungarrolling in 1990, with Mick Doohan taking Honda loot before the final Hungarian Grand Prix in 1992. Eddie Lawson and Kagiba won that race.
Hungary enjoyed the success of the Grand Prix in the 2000s, with Gabor Tarmaksi winning the 2007 125cc title at Aprilia.
It will be the brightest star of Tarmakshi. The Hungarians have only competed in MotoGP since the sixth round in 2009 with the Honda team at Scott Race.
In 2010, MotoGP was planning to go to Hungary again, but the event was not possible due to construction issues at Balatonring.
In 2025, MotoGP finally returned to the new Balaton Park track and hosted World Superbike last month.
It was the first circuit since 2023, taking part in the modern calendar (starting in 2002) and since 2023 Indiana Grampuran.
Three current stars are winning at the new circuit
The 2023 Indian Grampurin at the Buddha International Circuit was acquired by Marco Betzecchi, who was on the VR46 Ducati team at the time.
The current factory Aprilia rider was recently in Hot Streak and finished on the podium after leading the Austrian Grand Prix to the Silverstone victory and added to the podium at Assen and Brno.
He is one of the three riders on the current grid who won on the new circuit. One can set up a new modern record, and the other can match an existing record.
Championship leader Marc Marquez won three wins in 2018 at COTA 2013, Rio Honda 2014 and Buriram’s new circuits.
Two of these three venues are counterclockwise, which is a layout of a certain strength for Marquez. Balaton Park is also running in this direction. In this direction, Ducati riders are already locked in as their pre-race favorite.
Marquez will come to Hungary from the background of six consecutive victories and increase the distance of nine on Sunday of the season.
The rider who could match this tally of these three is Miguel Oliveira. The current Pramac Yamaha Rider won the Algarve International Circuit in his 2020 debut, and again won the KTM in 2022 at Mandalika.
However, Oliveira has struggled in the M1 season, managing only the best results in 13th place.
Other riders on the current grid have not etched their names into the winning trophies for the first time on the new circuit. The most profit for the inactive rider was Andrea Iannone from Red Bull Ring in 2016.
Prior to Marquez’s Cota victory in 2013, Casey Stoner was the winner of the MotoGP Newest Circuit, which won the top honors at Aragon in 2010. Incidentally, Aragon was chosen as an alternative event for the Hungarian Grand Prix cancelled that season.
Silverstone has returned to the calendar due to his absence since the late 1980s. Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo won that race, but then Yamaha’s teammate Valentino Rossi won the race on his first MotoGP visit to Indianapolis two years ago.
Casey Stoner won at Ducati in 2007 when Misano returned. This time, the layout was reversed from the last look as part of the safety upgrade.
When MotoGP first visited Türkiye and Istanbul Park in 2005, Marco Melandri won for Honda.
In the same year, Valentino Rossi won his first Chinese Grand Prix at Yamaha’s Shanghai International Circuit. A year ago, Sete Gibernau won the top spot at the Maiden Qatar Grand Prix in controversial circumstances after Rossi was sent behind the pack in a grid sweep incident.
Honda has the most victories on six modern new circuits, followed by four at Ducati, three at Yamaha and two at KTM.