An agreement was reached today to bring MotoGP back to Hungary in 2023. Not a novelty for the country, which hosted the World Championship for two GPs in the 90s.
A step forward to bring the World Championship back to Hungary in 2023. Today is the announcement of the agreement reached between the CEO Dorna, Carmelo Ezpeleta and József Pacza, CEO of the limited liability company for the eastern Hungarian tracks. In a meeting in Budapest, there was the signing for a Grand Prix. The chosen location will be a new circuit which will be built in Hajdúnánás, near Debrecen. The track will measure approximately 4.4 km, part of a much larger sports complex. But that would not be new for the MotoGP World Championship, which has raced twice in Hungary in the past.
HUNGARORING 1990
This season we found this Grand Prix on the calendar for the first time, the penultimate round of the year. The theatre is precisely the Hungaroring, a permanent circuit with a length of 3.47 kilometres, located in Mogyoród and inaugurated in 1986. Four categories in action that season, namely 500cc, 250cc, 125cc and sidecar. The premier class star was Mick Doohan, who scored pole position, victory and fastest lap, preceding the American duo made up of Eddie Lawson and Kevin Schwantz. In the quarter-litre, the success of John Kocinski with his rival Carlos Cardús 3rd keeps the championship fight on, while Helmut Bradl is second. In 125cc the battle for the title is open and certainly helps the great success of Loris Capirossi, followed by Heinz Lüthi and Bruno Casanova, with rivals Spaan and Prein off the podium. Finally, in the sidecar comes the first success of the brothers Paul and Charly Güdel, while the duo Michel-Birchall just takes 6th place to celebrate the first world champion.
HUNGARORING 1992
Two years later the World Championship is back in Hungary, again on the same track, which this time however measures 3.868 km, slightly less than the previous edition. It is the ninth round of the championship, again four categories in action, this time, however, half of the successes are tricolours. But let’s go in order, starting with the 500cc: it is a stars and stripes domain, given that the top 5 is occupied only by US drivers. The win goes to Eddie Lawson, who preceded poleman Doug Chandler and Randy Mamola. In 250cc here is the first of the two Italian triumphs of the year. The signature is by Luca Cadalora, who puts another brick towards what will be his second category title. On the podium also his rival Loris Reggiani and Alberto Puig. For the 125cc it is still a tricolour party. This time with Alessandro Gramigni (who paves the way to his only world champion). Ralf Waldmann and Fausto Gresini arrived on the podium with him. Finally, there is the sidecar class. The Biland-Waltisperg crew triumphs, provisionally third world champion, with the leaders Webster-Simmons at the wheel.
THE TWO GHOST EDITIONS
There could have been two other Hungarian Grand Prix on the scoresheet, but they were cancelled. In fact, in 2009 they scheduled a return, but this time on the new Balatonring. Anyway, significant delays in construction led to a cancellation, without any replacement stage. They tried to return to this new circuit also in 2010, but the problem returns. So here is a new cancellation, in its place they inserted Aragón Grand Prix.