A circuit built for cars may not be inherently safe for motorcycles. It's a fact that MotoGP confronted during its first visit to Balaton Park in Hungary last weekend. The narrow circuit, described as Monaco for bikes, produced its most dramatic crash during qualifying on Saturday. Pedro Acosta's KTM tumbled through a gravel trap and flipped over the catchfence into a TV camera. Thankfully, the cameraman was unharmed. Series organizers, seemingly deciding the incident was a fluke, sent the crewmember back to the same position on Sunday.
Acosta dropped his bike while following KTM stablemate Enea Bastianini through Turn 8. The 21-year-old safely slid clear off his bike as it essentially became a kinetic weapon. The RC16 shed parts as it tumbled, but it didn't shed any speed. Highlighting the lack of runoff, the bike quickly reached the inflated air fence and launched up into the elevated camera position to hit the camera directly. The footage simply shows Red Bull-branded bodywork hitting the lens. Understandably, the cameraman abandoned his equipment and scrambled to the other side of the platform.
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Issues Go Far Deeper Than Just Flying Motorcycles
Despite the flying bike, the multiple open chicanes are arguably a more dangerous aspect of Balaton Park's design. If a rider went down at the first apex, they and their motorcycle would slide across the exit after the second apex. They would be directly in the path of oncoming motorcycles, the deadliest position that a fallen rider could be in. Balaton Park obviously doesn't want to draw attention to the dangers. According to Motorsport.com, track board member Gianpaolo Matteucci said after Saturday's running:
"The word 'unique' is one we are hearing from the riders. They all love challenges and it is obvious our circuit has offered them this. Today, the fans were certainly entertained and I am sure it will be the same tomorrow for the grand prix."
Sunday's feature race was a relatively clean affair with Marc Márquez winning his seventh consecutive grand prix, extending his lead in the MotoGP title fight to 175 points over his brother Álex. It's only a matter of time until the older Márquez brother seals his ninth world championship. It will also only be a matter of time until MotoGP returns to Balaton Park. Series organizers signed a lucrative ten-year deal with the Hungarian government. The contract doesn't stipulate where in the country MotoGP has to race, but the series has a 2026 deal with Balaton Park's promoters.
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