The Moto3 world championship made its first-ever visit to Balaton Park. This all-new 4,03 km circuit played host to the first MotoGP event held on Hungarian soil in 33 years. Among the two dozen, or so, world champion hopefuls was South African Ruche Moodley.
The teenager is enjoying his rookie season on the world stage, having competed in other feeder series in preparation to step up onto the world stage. Moodley had a strong start to the 2025 season but has suffered a series of injuries, which cost him a forced break for a few rounds. He returned after the series’ summer break at the last round at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.
“It was great to be back in the saddle in Austria. I was not sure what to expect of my fitness levels after the injury and summer break. But at the end of the race I was feeling really good, with no pain and full strength in my forearms. My recovery feels complete.”
Balaton Park was a new adventure for the Gqeberha-born lad, as with so many other circuits in his rookie campaign. He made steady progress throughout the early sessions, improving his pace with each successive lap. He qualified in 20th place for Sunday’s race.
Everyone expected chaos at the start of the race as turn one is a 180-degree corner, followed by a sharp left-hander. Former MotoGP champion Fabio Quartararo, showed the potential danger when he made a hash of the start in the MotoGP sprint race on Saturday crashing out and causing others to take avoiding action. However, the young chargers were far more cautious, with everyone making it cleanly around the opening lap.
“I dropped a few places as I was on the outside of the pack and forced to go wide. But there was a long race ahead of us and no one really knew how tyre wear would affect performance in the heat.”
Moodley played the long game and made smart overtakes early on. He progressed from 24th at the end of the opening lap to 18th by one third race distance.
“I was having some really good battles swapping positions with the guys around me. I’d gain two positions, then drop one the following lap. It was tough, but fair racing and really good fun.”
The heat in Hungary took its toll as some riders fell by the wayside. But Moodley kept his nerve with the intent of seeing the chequered flag. It was a good strategy as he climbed up the order. He crossed the finish line in 16th place, agonisingly close to scoring a point.
“I watched my pit board and saw my race position climb as the laps counted down. When I got to 16th I knew there was a possibility of scoring a point, but the guys ahead were just too far for me to catch.”
“I struggled with my strength in the change of direction. I just need to ensure I stop losing places at the race start so I can challenge for points,” concluded Moodley.
Published by Double Apex on behalf of Ruche Moodley
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