Hungarian GP faces axe after construction delays
Added on Wednesday, February 11th, 2009 by Carole Nash Editor
Hungarian GP faces axe after construction delays
The Hungarian round of the 2009 MotoGP season is set to be cancelled due to delays in construction of the new circuit according to government officials.
Construction work on the new Balatonring, some 180km outside of Budapest, has stalled with Spanish contractor Sedesa, which is building the €80m facility, failing to commence work on time.
Local government minister Istvan Gyenesei conceded that the circuit is unlikely to be ready for the Hungarian Grand Prix, scheduled as round 14 of the championship on September 20.
“So, it’s very likely that the circuit won’t be ready and the race won’t be able to go ahead. But we’ve had no official word from the Spanish side,” Gyenesei said.
He insisted that the Hungarian side had done all the necessary ground work for construction to begin this month.
The addition of the Hungarian Grand Prix, to replace the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, was cause for much optimism for championship promoters Dorna, who were hoping to capitalise on the interest in Hungary and local 125cc champion Gabor Talmacsi. A large proportion of tickets to the nearby Czech Grand Prix in Brno are also sold to Hungarians, highlighting a potentially lucrative market.
No official comment has been made on the future of the Hungarian GP which, if not replaced, would reduce the season to just 17 rounds. The round’s removal from the calendar would also lead a one month break between the rounds in San Marino and Portugal.
The 4.6km-metre (2.8-mile) long Balatonring is located near Savoly, near the Lake Balaton holiday area.
The management company overseeing it is Balatonring Zrt, 30% of which is controlled by the Hungarian Tourism board and the remaining 70 percent by Spain’s Worldwide Circuit Management S.L. (WCM).
