Talking Points: What to expect at Balaton Park Circuit.

The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship has landed at the Balaton Park Circuit for Round 8 of the 2025 season. It’s a milestone weekend for the Championship with Race 1000 set to take place during the Hungarian Round. Still, there were also other topics up for discussion – including silly season, the new circuit and more.

Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team): “I think it could be a good circuit for me… I like this circuit”

Previewing the weekend, ‘El Turco’ said: “I’m happy because we can finally see this new track. I like this circuit, it has many slow chicanes, and this suits my style, so I’m eager for that. I think it could be a good circuit for me, I tested here, but it was on a stock bike, so it’s hard to understand if it will be good or not. A superbike is a little different. I wasn’t trying to adapt much to the stock bike, it was just a half day, and after we went to the city. I liked what I saw, though, and I immediately felt like I learned some things. I can’t wait for Friday and starting to ride again.”

With Race 1000 approaching, and Razgatlioglu winning both Races 800 and 900, he said about the upcoming milestone: “I feel some pressure this weekend to win Race 1000!”

Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “It’s not important which race I win, but to win…”

Looking ahead to Balaton and discussing the title fight, Bulega said: “I feel good. It’s good to comeback riding bikes after just one week. We know this track because we came here almost a month ago to test with our street bikes. Some corners, maybe it’s good for us, but some corners maybe aren’t. Cremona, on paper, wasn’t our track, but we won three races. I don’t want to think too much about this. Four points are nothing. We’re almost on the same points, so I’ll try to do my best as always, and my approach doesn’t change. I’d also like to win Race 999! I’ll try to win. It’s not important which race, but to win, so I’ll try to win the race before and the 1000th.”

Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha): “I’m sure we’ll understand more in the summer break, or later. I have some options”

Looking ahead to a special weekend, Rea said: “FP1’s going to be super important because Fridays always dictate how the weekend plays out. We’ll try to maximise track time tomorrow and make the correct decisions with setups. Normally, track learning begins on a Thursday with the track walk. I do that with all my crew, and it’s more of a team bonding exercise than really learning. The Yamaha MotoGP team were here testing, so we have some idea of speeds. We’re going to take the setup from Donington, where the bike felt quite good. I’m super excited and very proud to be part of this huge milestone. WorldSBK is my life. It’s given me an incredible life, and I feel like part of this family. It’ll be nice to celebrate that milestone with everyone here.”

On his future, Rea stated: “Let’s wait and see, focus on the weekend, try to do a really good job. I’m sure we’ll understand more in the summer break, or later. I have some options, let’s say, but it’s taking the right one and for me to understand what’s best for me.”

Danilo Petrucci (Barni Spark Racing Team): “The team we are in talks with are also talking to other riders”

Petrucci, who was also in MotoGP’s 1000th Grand Prix, said: “I had fun on the track, it’s a heavy braking track, lots of heavy braking, lots of hairpins, lots of chicanes. It feels like a mix of Cremona and Most; fortunately, I’m fast at both. I think it’s going to be fun because there are lots of opportunities to overtake with the long braking areas and hairpins. I think we’re going to see some good fights. We have some information about the speed on the corners and the straights, so we have a base of solutions to work with. We will try different sprockets as no one knows which gear ratio they will use. I’m really proud to be participating in the WorldSBK Race 1000. I’m really happy, especially because the wildcard I did in MotoGP was Grand Prix 1000. I hope we get a sunny day, but I’m so proud to be a part of these Championships. I would like to know my future; unfortunately, it’s not in my hands. I want to try to stand on the podium as much as I can, but the only thing I can do is go faster. It doesn’t make me nervous, but with all the rumours in the media, I like to be able to just focus on the racing.”

Discussing media reports that his manager would be at Balaton, Petrucci said: “We are in talks, but the team we are in talks with is also talking to other riders. I can’t just press a button and decide where I want to go.”

Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team): “This is the sort of thing that you want to be a part of when you’re a kid”

Explaining his Donington crash and WorldSBK’s 1000th race, Alex Lowes said:“In the crash in the first race, I got my foot caught in a weird way. I had quite a lot of swelling, and because it was on my left side, it made shifting difficult. We know with our bike, it feels better if we can ride our own lines as opposed to riding with the group. It was a weird crash because on Craner Curves, it’s typically when you go over the rise, but I lost the front after the rise. The layout on paper should be pretty good for us. There’s no reason we can’t carry on the good form we’ve had recently. Last round I got my first front row of the season, the target this weekend is to be in those front positions and have some fun! It would be special to win Race 1000 with bimota, it’s fantastic to be a part of history. This is the sort of thing that you want to be a part of when you’re a kid.”

Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha): “I see many areas of the track that have a change of direction and lots of chicanes, I’m quite positive that with our bike we can do well”

Previewing Balaton and speaking about who his teammate could be in 2026, Locatelli stated: “I’m so excited because I was watching some videos from the other riders who were here on the road bike, and it looks like an interesting track. I see many areas of the track that have a change of direction and lots of chicanes. I’m quite positive that with our bike, we can do well. It’s a new challenge, a new track, new tyres, there are many things that are different, but I think we can hope for a podium as long as we can come into the races more prepared than the others.”

Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati): “We need to discover the secret… it’s always exciting to race at a new track”

Discussing his hopes in Hungary, Bautista said: “It’s always exciting to race at a new track. We did a test with a street bike a few weeks ago to get a first look at the track. It’s a very different track from the others. After the resurfacing, we will have to see how it feels. I’m arriving with a lot of confidence, especially after the last round, we worked really well during the weekends, but I have no expectations for my results. I’m focusing from Friday on to try to learn the secret of the track. I think it’s a very particular track, it has lots of slow points. We need to discover the secret, set a good reference and try to enjoy the track. I don’t think there are tracks that favour one thing over another, I think it comes down more to how you manage the tyres and how you set your reference.”

Tarran Mackenzie (MGM BONOVO Action): “Maybe I’ve not been on a package or a bike that’s been capable of top fives, so this really excites me”

On his new WorldSBK challenge, Mackenzie said: “I’m so excited to be back after missing one round in. I got a phone call from Michael Galinski, and the situation had changed with him going forward. The opportunity arose for me and it’s something I’m really excited about. The plan is to carry on for the rest of the season. I’m fully in the deep end. It’s a big challenge ahead but something I’m excited for. With no disrespect to anyone, maybe I’ve not been on a package or a bike that’s been capable of top fives, so this really excites me. The first steps will be to ride again with a smile on my face. I truly believe a happy rider is a fast rider.”

Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC): “I’m feeling 100% after the injury… Balaton can be a good chance for us”

Explaining his thoughts ahead of the Hungarian Round as well as his future, Vierge said: “I’m really looking forward to it, especially because I’m feeling 100% after the injury. We had the chance to do some laps here a few weeks ago on the street bike. It’s like Cremona and Most. It can be a good chance for us. When a new track comes onto the calendar, there’s more of a chance for everyone, so we need to take that advantage. From my side, it’s a little bit as always. My priority when I joined this Championship was to fight for the title with Honda, because I know my potential and theirs. It’s taking a little bit more time than what everyone expected. I know I have different options but it’s too early to decide.”