Joan Mir: Balaton Park layout creates “chances to overtake” in Hungarian MotoGP

MotoGP makes its debut at Balaton Park this weekend with the first Hungarian Grand Prix since 1992 taking place there, and Joan Mir has given an optimistic assessment of the layout’s racing potential ahead of the first practice sessions on Friday.

The layout at Balaton is characterised by hard braking zones into slow speed chicanes. Its slow average speed led to criticism of the circuit by some riders, with Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia – who rode the track on a production bike in the summer – saying at the previous MotoGP round in Austria that modern grand prix bikes are not suited to a layout like the one at the Hungarian venue.

Mir, though, thinks that the Balaton layout is one that offers a different characteristics to most, which he sees as something positive.

“I made a couple of laps with the bicycle,” Joan Mir told the pre-event press conference in Hungary.

“It looks very small, quite tight, one of the [more] different tracks in the calendar.

“I think that to have a different kind of layout is very nice because you see something different, maybe some riding characteristics of people that are able to be faster in this kind of track.

“A lot of braking points, a lot of chances to overtake, so I think it will be great.”

Mir added that there are sections of the track that remind him of places on other circuits, such as the Red Bull Ring or the Mandalika International Street Circuit.

“I think that, for the character of the turns, it can be like sector one in Austria, that chicane, but it’s true that this one looks even tighter,” Mir said.

“Also, this sector two looks similar to sector two in Mandalika with [those] fast corners. So, it will be a good mix.

“Here, we don’t have a lot of fast corners, it looks like it’s more everything stop-and-go. I think the character itself, normally stop-and-go tracks are [more fun] to see from the outside I would say, nowadays, so it will be great.”

Is it a track that could suit the Honda RC213V?

“I don’t know,” the Honda HRC Castrol rider said, “but the reality is that when we have a new track on the calendar I think it’s an opportunity for everyone to try to get the chance.

“For me, as a rider, I have to give that 100 per cent, the maximum; but it’s not only that I have to adapt quickly to the track – also the bike has to adapt quickly to the track.

“If you start playing a lot with the setup, everything becomes more difficult. But I think that we can make a good job.”

When World Superbike made its maiden visit to Balaton at the end of July, one of the clear talking points was the crash in Race 1 that took out several riders in the opening corners of the race.

Mir said that there is always a risk in the start of a race and that slow corners at the beginning of the lap don’t necessarily help, but also pointed out that Balaton is not the only track with a potentially dangerous opening section.

“Always there is a risk in MotoGP or in this world that the start is very dangerous, and also when you have slow corners the people are probably more brave because the fact that the risk is less can create a bit more trouble,” he said.

“But, for example, later on we go to Barcelona and we arrive there in the first corner at 250kph, 22 riders with a lot of speed, and also is a critical and difficult situation.”