What was Johann Zarco doing at Balaton Park this week?

Theatre of the first Hungarian Grand Prix MotoGP In 2025, Balaton Park was a new circuit for everyone on the grid the previous season. And since in motorcycle racing it's impossible for riders to use simulators to familiarize themselves with a track's corners, no one had a historical advantage in terms of data. And so, things were complicated for Johann Zarco.

Second to last on Friday, when the drivers were still getting to grips with the circuit, he was unable to improve on his performance in Saturday's qualifying session. Starting 18th on the grid, he crashed in both the Sprint and the main race, recording one of his worst weekends of the season.

Before the return of the sport in Hungary on June 7, the Frenchman is giving himself every chance to avoid a repeat of his nightmarish weekend. Ahead of the French MotoGP Grand Prix (May 8-10), he visited the circuit west of Budapest to put in some laps.

With him, a top-notch coach: Gábor Talmácsi. The Hungarian rider, 2007 125cc world champion, knows the specifics of Balaton Park. “I had a tough time last year in Hungary,” he confided to Winamax TV this Monday. So I asked Gábor if we could train. He organized a track day right after the Superbike World Championship race, it was perfect. And I did some good laps, it felt great.

Balaton Park, a technical circuit

In 2025, Balaton Park was criticized by many riders who considered the track dangerous or poorly suited to motorcycles. Nevertheless, the Hungarian Grand Prix is ​​back on the calendar this year, and the riders are forced to adapt.

"I want to love this circuit; it's not normal not to love a circuit." He continues. It's very technical, it's complicated. It's less natural; there aren't the fast corners we like. The braking is also unusual, because braking hard is even worse. It's a bit illogical.

While he himself flew there, his Honda mechanic during the Grand Prix, Sébastien Moreno, traveled with all the equipment that allowed Johann Zarco to train. The Cannes native then quickly returned to France to rest before heading to Le Mans.

It remains to be seen whether the Frenchman's efforts will be rewarded soon. Before that, he has three MotoGP races remaining: the French Grand Prix, which he will contest on home soil on May 10th; the Catalan Grand Prix the following week; and the Italian Grand Prix on May 31st.

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