The Hungarian round of the Supermoto World Championship at Black Star Speedway Visonta concluded on Sunday with thrilling battles, spectacular races, and a Hungarian victory. In the premier class, S1GP, the final day’s races were won by reigning champion and four-time World Champion Marc-Reiner Schmidt, while in SM Junior, local rider Dávid Bereczki claimed victory – the first of his career.
After Saturday’s cloudier weather and light showers, riders and the large number of fans were greeted on Sunday by clear skies and temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius at the 1.7-kilometer Visonta track. Alongside the races, the organizers welcomed spectators with various side events, extensive hospitality offerings, and a fan meet-and-greet.
In the first race of the morning program – also the one most anticipated by the local crowd – the juniors lined up for their opening race of the weekend. Dávid Bereczki started from third on the grid. The 14-year-old talent got off to a brilliant start, exiting the first corner in the lead, but on corner exit his biggest rival, Ukrainian Jevsevii Kovalov, managed to overtake him. From there, Bereczki confidently held on to second place and at times even closed the gap to Kovalov, who remained mistake-free and took the win. Bereczki crossed the finish line in second and was clearly delighted with the result, as the crowd rewarded his performance with loud cheers and applause.
In the afternoon session, it once again felt like every single spectator at Visonta was cheering for Bereczki – and this time, the home victory came true. The Hungarian rider got off to another strong start, but just like earlier, Kovalov passed him after the first corner. This time, however, the Ukrainian lost focus, made a mistake, and crashed. Bereczki took full advantage, grabbed the lead, and held onto it until the checkered flag – despite heavy pressure in the final lap from the rival right behind him, who also crashed in his push to overtake.
At the podium ceremony, the crowd gave Dávid Bereczki a roaring ovation, and the talented young rider was visibly emotional during his post-race interview.
“To be honest, I started crying the moment I crossed the finish line – I didn’t even know how to celebrate. It’s an incredible feeling and such a joy to win here at home, in front of this crowd. I’m indescribably happy. In the last half lap, I was just focused on not sliding out or making any mistakes, because I felt like this one was mine. Thank you to everyone who supported our efforts and to the fans for cheering all weekend,” said Bereczki.
The other Hungarian rider in the Junior category, Zétény Tóth, finished sixth in the first race and tenth in the second.
In the S1GP category, Schmidt left no doubt that he is currently the best Supermoto rider in the world. The German reigning champion won the fast-paced sprint race – known as the Fast Race – thanks to an incredibly bold move, overtaking the then race leader, France’s Steve Bonnal, in one of the slowest sections of the track. In the late afternoon Super Final, Schmidt had to battle with Lukas Höllbacher for the lead, and he made sure the crowd stayed on the edge of their seats: with a very aggressive maneuver in the second lap, he took over the lead and began building a gap. Later, in a surprising twist, he crashed and dropped behind two riders. But Schmidt was not about to give up – he quickly caught up, overtook both rivals, and by the time the checkered flag fell, he was celebrating his victory with pure joy.
Behind Schmidt, based on the combined results of the weekend’s three races, Lukas Höllbacher finished second overall, while Czech rider Milan Sitniansky secured third place.
Among the Hungarian participants, Balázs Surányi finished 10th in the Fast Race and 12th in the Super Final, while Gergely Kardos placed 16th in both races.
“I’m really happy, especially because I was able to ride so dominantly in the Super Final. After the start, I was running second and tried to stay focused. I made a pass, but then I had a small issue with my boot, which caused me to crash in the second corner. I lost two positions at that point, but I quickly got back on the bike, put my head down, and twisted the throttle as hard as I could. I managed to close the gap quickly, passed two riders again, and retook the lead – so it turned out to be a truly wild race. Visonta has become one of my favorite tracks, not only because it’s such a great circuit to ride, but also because this weekend had an amazing atmosphere and fantastic side programs. Now I’m heading off to spend a little time in Budapest,” said Schmidt, who now leads the championship standings by 72 points over Höllbacher after round four of the six-round World Championship.
“All in all, it was a good weekend. I started off a bit slower, but we all did a great job as a team, and I was able to improve my pace consistently. I believe second place was the maximum I could get out of this weekend. Huge thanks to the organizers and promoters – it was an excellent event with a huge crowd, and it really looked like everyone was enjoying themselves. Luckily, we’ll be coming back here next year to race again,” said Höllbacher in his assessment of the weekend.
“Everything went perfectly up until the Super Final – I managed to stay in 10th place throughout, which was my goal going into the weekend. I wanted to finish among the top three rookies, but unfortunately, I made a mistake and crashed in the Super Final. Still, overall I’m satisfied. I’ve improved a lot – I can really feel that – and the atmosphere throughout the weekend was fantastic. I think many people will now want to try Supermoto racing, because now everyone clearly understands what this sport is all about. The organization was excellent, everything was handled professionally,” summarized Balázs Surányi, who aims to finish in the top three in the Austrian championship this season.
“I used to race road bikes, so this was my first event of this kind – I’d never competed in a world championship before. My goal was simply not to finish last in front of the home crowd, and I also had a target lap time in mind, which I actually managed to beat. I was strong on the asphalt section, but the off-road sector was completely new to me, while the others are more accustomed to it. There’s never been an event like this in Hungary – so many programs alongside the races – and I think it means a lot for the country that we got to host something like this at such a high level,” said Gergely Kardos.
In the European Championship battle of the S2 category, Saturday’s winner, French rider Melvin Viola, delivered an extremely confident performance on Sunday as well, dominating both races and securing a clear overall victory for the Visonta weekend.
