HISTORY CORNER: Hungary set to host its third MotoGP round

MotoGP has made its return to Hungary this weekend, with the brand-new Balaton Park Circuit set to host the third MotoGP Hungarian Grand Prix. F1Technical's senior writer Balazs Szabo looks back at the history of the MotoGP Hungarian Grand Prix.

The track has a length of 4.115 km, and is located near Balatonfőkajár, some 85 km southwest of Budapest. The track, which was opened in May 2023, is designed to host regional and international races.

The main phase of construction for the Balaton Park started in 2019. The racetrack is owned by a private group of investors led by former racecar driver Chanoch Nissany, with the circuit's secondary goal to be to act as a test circuit for Nissan. The project was financed using the investors' own equity, without any involvement from banks or external funding.

Hungary has only hosted two MotoGP races so far. The first Hungarian Grand Prix was held in 1990 on the Hungaroring and saw Mick Doohan clinch the maiden win.

Before the start of the race, there was a discussion whether the race should continue for the 500cc class due to the relatively poor condition of the circuit. The temperatures that day were very warm and the asphalt was bumpy, causing riders to break out in a discussion over cancelling the event. Eventually an agreement was reached but the night before, a thunderstorm soaked the circuit.

Now the circuit was not only bumpy but also dangerous due to it being very slippery, causing the riders to erupt in discussions once more. However, after the sun came out, the track dried up and was cleaned by the marshals. The riders then opted to start the race, deeming the conditions safe enough.

However, at least five reconnaissance laps were held before starting the race. After the race, the management council of the FIM refused to keep the Hungarian GP, as well as the Belgian round, on the calendar for next year. This was mainly because of the serious organisational problems which had plagued the race.

The riders also were generally unhappy with the circuit and complained that the circuit was more suited for Formula 1 due to its barriers, the circuit disappeared from the calendar in 1991. The circuit had to undergo work to improve things before 31 December 1990 in order to reappear on the calendar in the future.

After an absence of one year, the circuit reappeared on the calendar in 1992 after the IRTA and Bernie Ecclestone got more influence in the sport over the FIM during the FIM–IRTA war.

Ecclestone personally contracted the circuit and put the dates on the calendar, and one of his wishes was for more "F1 styled circuits" to appear on the grand prix motorcycling calendar, Hungary being one of them. The race was held in an originally wet track but as it dried up, riders went into the pits to change bikes and the race was eventually won by Eddie Lawson on the Cagiva – the first win for the Italian team.

After 1992, the race once again disappeared from the calendar after Ecclestone focused his interest completely on Formula 1 again and a preference for F1 cars to race on the circuit instead.