The Argentine MotoGP Grand Prix, which was to be held from April 5 to 7 at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit, has been canceled, Dorna, organizer of the MotoGP world championship, announced on Wednesday.
“Due to the current circumstances in Argentina, the promoter of the event has informed that it is currently impossible to guarantee the quality of services essential to the organization of the Grand Prix in 2024,” explains Dorna in a joint press release. with the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM). The event, which was to be the third of the season after the inaugural round in Qatar and that in Portugal in March, “will not be replaced in the calendar” which will therefore include 21 races, specifies the press release.
This cancellation had been anticipated since the coming to power in December of the new ultraliberal president Javier Milei, who implemented austerity reforms and reductions in public spending. The Argentine GP, which benefited from significant public funding, was to celebrate ten years of its appearance on the calendar this season. “MotoGP hopes to return to racing at Termas de Rio Hondo in 2025,” the press release concludes. Uncertainty also hangs over the Kazakhstan Grand Prix, scheduled for mid-June and already canceled in 2023 because the brand new Sokol circuit could not be approved in time.