Balaton Park Circuit

Balaton Park Circuit is a motor racing circuit located near Balatonfőkajár, Hungary, southwest of Budapest. The track is designed to host regional and international races. The circuit was opened in May 2023.

History

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. The circuit is intended to be a modern addition to Hungary's motor racing scene, complementing the older and well-established Hungaroring circuit.

In September 2023, it was revealed that the circuit would be planned to be included in the Superbike World Championship in 2024, and it would be also the reserve venue of MotoGP World Championship in the same year before the return of Hungarian motorcycle Grand Prix to Hungaroring in 2025. On 26 October 2023, it was confirmed that the circuit will host its first World SBK race on 23–25 August 2024. However, on 7 June 2024, it was announced that the World SBK round at the circuit was replaced by the round at Circuito do Estoril due to the ongoing works at the circuit. On 19 September 2024, it was announced that the circuit would host both Grand Prix motorcycle racing and Superbike World Championship next year, the former would be held in August 2025, the latter would held in July 2025. For these motorcycle races, there were significant changes made for the circuit. Turns 6 and 7, instead of a double apex turn, was converted to two doglegs with a straight connecting the two, a chicane replacing the Turn 11 dogleg, and a tight Turn 13 that connects to a tight right-handed Turn 14 and into a left-handed Turn 15 that ensures walls will be further from the circuit, in which the layout length would be changed as for the motorcycle races while the original Grand Prix layout was also retained.

World Superbike testing On 22 June 2025, a number of World SBK riders arrived at Balaton Park to test the circuit ahead of its debut round in July. The Balaton Park test saw many WorldSBK riders get their first taste of the Hungarian circuit ahead of its debut on the calendar in July. Among those in attendance were Honda HRC duo Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge riding the standard CBR1000RR-R.

MotoGP testing In late June 2025, test riders from five MotoGP manufacturers Honda, Yamaha, KTM, Ducati, and Aprilia tested the Balaton Park Circuit. This year, the Hungarian GP was included in both the WSBK and MotoGP calendars, for the first time since 1992. The five test riders included Augusto Fernández of Yamaha, Michele Pirro of Ducati, Pol Espargaró of KTM, Stefan Bradl of Honda, and Lorenzo Savadori of Aprilia.

Other testing In August 2025, six Ducati riders, Marc Márquez, Francesco Bagnaia, Alex Márquez, Fermin Aldeguer, Fabio Di Giannantonio, and Franco Morbidelli, participated in a private test at the Balaton Park circuit on 5 August. This test was conducted in preparation for the Hungarian GP debut, which would be held on 22–24 August. The Borgo Panigale-based manufacturer also fielded Ducati test rider Michele Pirro. This private test was conducted on the latest Ducati Panigale V4S motorcycle.

Design and facilities

The Balaton Park Circuit has been planned and constructed according to the FIA Grade 1 standards, initially obtaining a Grade 2 license. The track features Tecpro barriers and 'MyLaps' latest technology, including GPS, LED panels and timing systems.

The track has a length of and varies in width between . It consists of 16 corners, with six right turns and ten left turns in its full layout. The circuit's facilities include 48 pit garages, VIP areas and lounges, media center, medical center, and two additional support paddock areas.

Events

Current

May: Superbike World Championship, Supersport World Championship, FIM Women's Circuit Racing World Championship, FIM R3 bLU cRU World Cup June: Grand Prix motorcycle racing Hungarian motorcycle Grand Prix, Moto4 Northern Cup

Former

Ferrari Challenge Europe (2024) Formula 4 CEZ Championship (2023–2024) GT Cup Series (2024–2025) Histo-Cup Austria (2024) MotoE World Championship Hungarian eRace (2025) Porsche Sprint Challenge Central Europe (2025) TCR Eastern Europe Touring Car Series (2024–2025) TCR European Endurance Touring Car Series (2024)

Lap records

As of June 2026, the fastest official race lap records at the Balaton Park Circuit are listed as:

CategoryTimeDriverVehicleEvent Full Circuit (2023–present): Ferrari Challenge 1:34.466 Giacomo Altoè Ferrari 296 Challenge 2024 Balaton Park Ferrari Challenge Europe round GT3 1:34.826 Mercedes-AMG GT3 2025 Balaton Park FIA CEZ Endurance round Lamborghini Super Trofeo 1:36.760 Lamborghini Huracán LP 620-2 Super Trofeo EVO2 2024 Balaton Park FIA CEZ Endurance round LMP3 1:37.054 Miro Konôpka Ligier JS P320 2023 Balaton Park FirstLap Cup Formula 4 1:37.546 Ethan Ischer Tatuus F4-T421 2024 Balaton Park F4 CEZ Championship round Porsche Carrera Cup 1:37.833 David Dziwok Porsche 911 (992 I) GT3 Cup 2025 Balaton Park Porsche Sprint Challenge Central Europe round GT4 1:42.662 Richard Gonda BMW M4 GT4 2024 Balaton Park FIA CEZ Endurance round TCR Touring Car 1:43.844 Attila Bucsi Hyundai i30 N TCR 2024 Balaton Park TCR Eastern Europe round Renault Clio Cup 1:54.336 Bartolomiej Mirecki Renault Clio R.S. V 2025 Balaton Park Clio Cup Bohemia round Suzuki Swift Cup 1:58.992 Ádám Mészáros Suzuki Swift 1.4 Turbo 2025 Balaton Park FIA Swift Cup Europe round Motorcycle Circuit (2025–present): MotoGP 1:37.699 Marc Márquez Ducati Desmosedici GP25 2025 Hungarian motorcycle Grand Prix World SBK 1:38.230 Nicolò Bulega Ducati Panigale V4 R 2026 Balaton Park World SBK round Moto2 1:40.893 Manuel González Kalex Moto2 2026 Hungarian motorcycle Grand Prix World SSP 1:42.737 Albert Arenas Yamaha YZF-R9 2026 Balaton Park World SSP round MotoE 1:45.268 Matteo Ferrari Ducati V21L 2025 Hungarian motorcycle Grand Prix Moto3 1:45.700 David Muñoz KTM RC250GP 2025 Hungarian motorcycle Grand Prix World WCR 1:51.935 Paola Ramos Yamaha YZF-R7 2026 Balaton Park World WCR round Supersport 300 1:58.718 Kakeru Okunuki Yamaha YZF-R3 2025 Balaton Park FIM BLU CRU World Cup round

Balaton Park Circuit

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