{"id":34834,"date":"2025-07-31T11:42:13","date_gmt":"2025-07-31T11:42:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/34834\/"},"modified":"2025-07-31T11:42:13","modified_gmt":"2025-07-31T11:42:13","slug":"at-balaton-motogp-bikes-might-not-even-use-fifth-gear-alvaro-bautista","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/34834\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018At Balaton, MotoGP bikes might not even use fifth gear\u2019 \u2013 Alvaro Bautista"},"content":{"rendered":"

The MotoGP world championship returns in two weeks following its summer break, kicking off a series of five double-headers \u2014 10 rounds in just three months.<\/p>\n

After a trip to Austria\u2019s Red Bull Ring in mid-August, the MotoGP paddock will head to the relatively new Balaton Park circuit, for the first Hungarian Grand Prix since 1992.<\/p>\n

Read Also:<\/p>\n

Located on the shore of Lake Balaton, some 55 miles southwest of Budapest, the new track has stirred up curiosity in the paddock, so we spoke to the best possible source \u2013 someone who has just raced there.<\/p>\n

Alvaro Bautista competed in the inaugural World Superbike round at the circuit last weekend, with third-place finishes in race 1 and 2 before he crashed out of race 3. The Spaniard was running third when he lost the front end of his Ducati at high speed going into Turn 8. He tumbled several times as his bike ended up on the safety barriers.<\/p>\n

Unlike some other riders like Iker Lecuona who branded the track \u201cnot safe\u201d, Bautista doesn\u2019t think it\u2019s dangerous.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter everything that had been said, I honestly expected much worse,\u201d he told Motorsport.com. \u201cLet\u2019s just say it positively surprised me. The asphalt has a lot of grip.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Xavi <\/p>\n

Xavi Vierge, Honda HRC, Balaton test<\/p>\n

Photo by: Honda Racing<\/p>\n

Bautista reckons it\u2019s up to the riders to assess the risks, particularly going into the first chicane. That\u2019s where the most serious incident of the WorldSBK weekend occurred, a pile-up that involved six bikes at the start.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019ll be a problem in MotoGP, because riders in that class know they can\u2019t take excessive risks. But the Moto2 guys, and especially those in Moto3, will have to be really careful \u2013 especially on the first lap,\u201d said the two-time WorldSBK Champion.<\/p>\n

Regarding the barriers, Bautista noted a few spots where the confines of the circuit are narrow and ideally should be adjusted. \u201cAt Turn 1, the wall is pretty close, and also on the outside of Turn 5. In those two sections, if something goes wrong, it could be dangerous,\u201d the Ducati rider emphasized.<\/p>\n

Measuring 4.08km with 17 corners, Balaton Park is the third-shortest track on the calendar after the Sachsenring (3.67km) and Valencia (4.01km), and all signs point to it being the slowest circuit.<\/p>\n

Toprak Razgatlioglu\u2019s polesetting lap was 149km\/h in WorldSBK, 5km\/h slower than previous slowest track Cremona.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a very slow track that favors agile bikes. Whoever can, ditch the wings,\u201d Bautista joked, before adding: \u201cWith the Superbikes, we only hit fifth gear on one straight \u2013 and then immediately downshift. In fact, since MotoGP bikes can adjust their gear ratios and sprockets, they might not even use fifth gear at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

In this article<\/p>\n

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