Balatonring promises speed

The Hungarian circuit was a surprise new choice to be added to the calendar for 2009, but while relatively little is known about the track, early indications suggest it will pose a considerable challenge to riders.

It will be a stadium-style circuit in a similar vein to that of Valencia and it will be the first time the championship will go to Hungary since the more recognised Hungaroring hosted a race back in 1992.

And, according to Jorge Martinez Aspar Aspar, team manager for the 125cc and 250cc Aspar outfit who is overseeing the project, the new circuit will be one of the fastest on the calendar.

"We have a very exciting project ahead of us, one that is interesting in every respect," he told the official MotoGP website.

"The concept for the circuit is very modern; we've had the technical support of the MotoGP riders. The likes of Valentino Rossi, Dani Pedrosa, Casey Stoner and Marco Melandri have all helped out.

"The most important thing to mention is that it will be a safe circuit, in a stadium style like that of Valencia. It's a fast circuit - much faster than Valencia - with a minimum width of 14 metres so it can hold many other events."

The Balatonring, which will be built near Lake Balaton, comes to the 2009 calendar in place of the Chinese Grand Prix at Shanghai International Circuit.

Although motorbike racing in Hungary has long been popular, the Eastern European country has hosted just two MotoGP races since being built in 1986.