By Donovan Fourie | Guest Contributor | MotoGP Analyst
MotoGP Returns to Hungary After 33 Years
MotoGP has officially returned to Hungary after a 33-year absence. Many people wish to wait another 33 years before returning, not because of the country that attracted 80,000 fans to the stands, but rather because of the circuit itself.
Balaton Park Circuit: The Slowest Track on the Calendar
Before the weekend – especially after the World Superbike round – it was suggested that the new Balaton Park Circuit would be somewhat on the pedestrian side for MotoGP, and it was. Previously, the slowest average speed on a MotoGP circuit was Valencia, where the bikes managed an average speed of 162 km/h. That’s quite a step down from the fastest circuit on the calendar, which is the Chang Circuit in Thailand, where they average 193km/h.
Balaton has lowered the bar somewhat with a new slowest record of 150.1 km/h.
Binder’s Top Speed and Lap Comparison
The top speeds are not much better – Brad Binder holds the all-time record for fastest speed in MotoGP at 366 km/h, which he achieved in 2023 at Mugello. At Balaton, Binder again holds the fastest top speed, although it’s a more chilled 308 km/h. Behind him were another two KTMs – Pedro Acosta and Pol Espargaro, who stood in for the injured Maverick Vinales. The slowest top speed at Balaton was Fabio Quartararo on the Yamaha M1 at 303 km/h.
A Balaton lap is a smidge more than four kilometres long, complicated by 18 corners. For comparison, Kyalami is 4.2 km long and has 13 corners and is still considered a bit on the slow side. Imagine Balaton.
Overtaking Challenges at Balaton
The biggest problem with short straights and tight corners is that slipstreaming is nearly impossible, and braking areas are so short that there are very few opportunities to get passed other riders. This problem was highlighted during the Sprint, a race on Saturday afternoon that’s roughly half the length of the Sunday main race. Marquez hit the front and that was it. Otherwise, behind him, it was mostly a high-speed parade. The three times where riders did attempt overtakes, it didn’t go well – Quartararo crashed into Enea Bastianini on Turn One, Bastianini then took out Johann Zarco and Acosta took out himself trying a simple overtake.
Main Race: A Different Dynamic
The Main Race on Sunday was expected to be much the same, but longer. Sounds logical, but there’s a fundamental difference between the Sprint and the Main Race. During the Sprint, riders go flat out all race long, and, therefore, things like overtaking are trickier. The much longer Main Race is more like a marathon where riders need to consider tyres, fuel and their own energy. Different riders go quickly at different times during the Main Race, and there are more opportunities.
While it was easier in the Main Race, it still wasn’t easy. Marc Marquez took three attempts to overtake Marco Bezzecchi despite being 0.8 seconds a lap faster. Once he was through, he pulled a gap and stayed there.
Standout Performances: Binder and Martin
Brad Binder, who had spent the entire weekend out of the top ten, found himself 12th on the grid and did a “Binder” by finishing seventh and second top KTM (after Acosta who was second) in the race.
The record for the best “Binder” was current champ Jorge Martin on the Aprilia, who started the race in 16th, got to seventh by the end of the first lap and made his way up to fourth.
Brand Performances: Surprises and Struggles
Interestingly, that put Aprilia in third and fourth spot at Balaton, a place at which they were predicted to struggle because Aprilias have always preferred faster, sweeping tracks. Apparently, the brand has broken that mould.
KTM did well with Acosta challenging Marquez all weekend. The bike is good at pulling out of tight corners and accelerating hard.
Another brand that was able to make hay while the Hungarian sun shone was Honda, especially mini-Rossi Luca Marini, who finished fifth. Where Honda has had difficulty is in straight-line speed, and Balaton’s lack of long straights paid dividends.
A brand that had a hard time was Yamaha, with Quartararo crossing the line in 10th, followed by Oliveira in 12th and Rins in 13th. The Yamaha is the only motorcycle on the grid that makes use of an in-line four cylinder layout and appears to be struggling.
Yamaha’s Future with the V-Four
There is light on the horizon for Yamaha as its engineers have been working on a V-four alternative for two years, and reports say that we will get to see it in action for the first time at Misano, ridden by Yamaha test rider Augusto Fernandez.
That should be interesting.