MotoGP: Hungarian Moto3 champion Talmacsi set to complete demonstration runs on Sunday

With the MotoGP making its return to Hungary after a hiatus of more then three decades, 2007 125cc world champion Gabor Talmacsi will complete a demonstration lap at the brand-new Balaton Park Circuit.

Gabor Talmacsi, who is the first and only Hungarian to win a road racing World Championship, will complete a lap of honor on the bike with which he secured the world championship title in the 125cc category back in 2007.

The demonstration lap will take place on Sunday of the MotoGP Hungarian Grand Prix, half an hour before the start of the premier class race.

"It is a great honor for me to be able to do a lap of honor at the Balaton Park Circuit, and I am grateful for the opportunity, especially since I don't know if I will ever ride in front of such a large audience again, so I will try to enjoy every moment of it," said Talmácsi.

"My world championship bike had been standing still for a long time, so I had to send it to the team, where my old mechanics fixed it up so that it could withstand the strain. I tried it out last week, and I can say it was a great experience.

"Lately, I've been riding four-stroke bikes, so I almost forgot how sensitive this two-stroke is, how small the range is in which it works best, and how many things you have to pay attention to. In comparison, with a current Moto3 bike, you just sit on it and ride it."

Talmacsi was born in Budapest. The now 44-year-old started racing on minibikes made by his father at the age of 4. In the 1995 Hungarian 125cc national championships he finished in 2nd, and in 1996 he won the title, opening the doors for not just national, but international championships as well.

In 2001, he joined the Grand Prix completion, racing for Honda, Aprilia, Malaguti and KTM before joining the Aspar team in 2007 where he secured his 125cc title, riding an Aprilia.

Although he competed in the 250cc category and MotoGP in the following years, he suffered a leg injury in 2013, and retired from racing professionally. After retiring from racing, he set up his own team Talmácsi Racing, which competed in the European Superstock 600 Championship and raced with Honda CBR600RRs, until the series folded at the end of 2015.

"Half an hour before the start of the MotoGP race, between 1:20 and 1:30 p.m., I will do a lap, which is clearly not about speed, but rather about the love of motorsport, an inner celebration.

"I plan to ride for the fans in the first half of the track, and from Turn 11, where there are no spectators, I will try to get the most out of the bike. I'm sure it will be an unforgettable experience, as it already was to be able to sit on my old bike in my old suit," said Talmácsi.