Argentina MotoGP cancellation has resulted in changes to the 2024 MotoGP calendar, bringing it down to 21 races with no scheduled replacement for the cancelled event.
The Argentina MotoGP will not take place as planned because the event’s promoter is unable to guarantee that the necessary services will be provided, according to a statement released by Dorna on Wednesday.
There were rumors going around lately that the event which is held at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit in the country’s north, may be canceled. This is a result of significant cuts to non-essential services implemented nationwide by Argentina’s new president, Javier Milei.
There were concerns that since the Argentina MotoGP spent a large amount of government cash to organize the event, Milei might target it as well. The possibility now appears to have materialized, since Dorna reports that the 2024 race event has been cancelled because the promoter is unable to ensure that it would have the resources required to hold the event to MotoGP standards.
A brief statement from the Spanish organization confirmed that the event will not be replaced, resulting in a three-week gap between the Americas GP in mid-April and the Portuguese GP at the end of March.
It further stated that it hopes to return in 2025, however this will probably depend on how flexible the nation’s financial limits will be. Therefore, there will be 21 MotoGP events instead of 22 in 2024.
“The FIM, IRTA and Dorna Sports confirm the cancellation of the 2024 Argentina GP,” FIM and Dorna said. “Due to the current circumstances in Argentina, the Promoter of the event has communicated that it is currently unable to guarantee the services required for the Grand Prix to take place in 2024 at MotoGP™ standards.
“This event will not be replaced on the 2024 calendar. MotoGP™ hopes to return to race at Termas de Rio Hondo in 2025.”
Since returning to the calendar in 2014, the Argentina MotoGP has only missed two races: in 2020 and 2021 owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The venue underwent considerable reconstruction and was reinstated on the calendar in 2022 after a severe fire destroyed its pit building along with surrounding structures.
