Argentina MotoGP Canceled This Year, Will It Be Removed Forever?

RiderTua.com – The Argentina MotoGP was supposed to take place this weekend, but was canceled before the start of the 2024 season. The Argentine GP which was held at Termas de Rio Hondo was supposed to be in the third round of the 2024 MotoGP season. However, it was officially canceled by Dorna on January 31 this year. Due to the economic problems that occurred there… Has the Argentine GP ever been canceled before? This is the third time in recent times that the Argentine GP has been removed from the MotoGP calendar. In 2020, the race was canceled due to the health crisis, and in 2021 due to travel restrictions, again due to health concerns, the race is no longer held. The only race to be held outside Europe in 2021 is the 2021 Grand Prix of America, Texas, proposed in October of the same year.

Argentina MotoGP Canceled This Year, Will It Be Removed Forever?

However, the 2021 Argentine GP would have struggled to survive even without a health crisis, as a major fire destroyed the pit building earlier that year. Then the last Argentine GP will be held in 2023. MotoGP was held in Argentina with Marco Bezzecchi winning his first victory in the top class. The race was also held in 2022, although the weekend was shortened to two days because container loads from Indonesia did not arrive in time for Friday’s practice. This year Aprilia and Aleix Espargaro achieved their first historic victory in MotoGP. Prior to the cancellations for 2020 and 2021, the Argentine GP at Termas de Rio Hondo had been on the calendar since 2014, when the event returned after 15 years. Before 2014, the Argentine GP was held 10 times, the first in 1961 and the last in 1999. This race was organized by Autodrono Oscar y Juan Galves in the capital city of Buenos Aires.

There is no rider with the most wins at the Argentine GP. Because Argentina has been sporadic on the MotoGP calendar before being consistent since 2014, there is no single rider who dominates. Tom Phillis, Hugh Anderson, Mick Doohan and Marc Marquez scored the most wins with three wins. However, only five-time 500cc world champion Doohan and six-time MotoGP champion Marquez have ever won in the Premier class. MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi achieved two wins in Argentina, the first in the 250cc class in 1998 and the second in 2015 in the MotoGP class. When the premier class returned to Argentina in 2014, Rossi was the only rider to have competed in the South American country before.

Argentine rider Jorge Kissling was the winner of the first Argentine GP in 1961 with Matchless, and later his compatriot Benedictor Caldarella, also with Matchless, took the honors. Mike Hailwood won on the MV Agusta in 1963, the last Argentinian GP until 1981, although there were no 500cc (now MotoGP) events that season. In 1982, Yamaha’s Kenny Roberts led the ‘superclass’ to victory, while the following year it was Eddie Lawson. After a break in 1994, Doohan won with Honda. He did it again the following year, while Kenny Roberts Jr was successful in the 1999 race.

Since returning to racing in the 2014 season, the most MotoGP wins have been held by Marc Marquez (2014, 2016, 2019) and second place Valentino Rossi (2015), then Maverick Vinales (2017), Cal Crutchlow (2018), Aleix Espargaro (2022) and Marco Bezzecchi (2023). Honda is the most successful manufacturer in Argentina, having won a total of 20 races between MotoGP/500cc and Moto3/125cc. The second best brand is Kalex, whose chassis have won every Moto2 race at Termas de Rio Hondo 8 times.

The big question is how long will MotoGP last in Argentina? Argentina has a current contract with Dorna that will expire at the end of 2025. Due to conditions in the country, it is unclear whether there is a possibility that MotoGP can be held again next year. Will the 2024 Argentine GP be replaced? Dorna Sports announced on 31 January 2024, that Argentina would be removed from the calendar and not replaced. Originally planned for 22 events by 2024, there will now be 21 races, although that number would represent a record in the premier class, unless there are other changes.