MotoGP postpones Argentina round a year

UPDATE Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta travelled to Argentina on Tuesday to confirm the inclusion of a race at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit on the 2014 MotoGP calendar. The decision was recently taken to delay the event by 12 months and its place is now looking like a formality after the commercial rights holder's successful visit.

"I travelled to Argentina to learn more about the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit and to appreciate the work they are doing at the track," said Ezpeleta. "The layout will be fast, with a very original design, so I wanted to congratulate Governor Zamora, the Tourism Minister Enrique Meyer and the organizer, for their work in creating a great circuit."

The circuit is expected to host a race in April 2014, subject to final confirmation. Next year's MotoGP championship will see the teams visit eighteen countries.

11/24/12 Dorna Sports, commercial rights holder of the MotoGP World Championship, has released the following press release regarding the non-inclusion of the Gran Premio de la Republica Argentina.

The Gran Premio de la Republica Argentina, which was set to take place at the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit early next year, has not been included in the 2013 calendar.

On June 20th 2012, the Spanish government recommended that teams and riders sponsored by Repsol should not travel to the Republica Argentina due to safety reasons. Therefore, the celebration of the 2013 Gran Premio de la Republica Argentina remained under suspension until such recommendation would be kept in force.

The deadline for Dorna Sports, commercial rights holder of the MotoGP World Championship, to officially propose the 2013 MotoGP Calendar to FIM was November 18th.

On November 20th, the Spanish government notified through email sent to Dorna Sports the withdrawal of the above-referred recommendation, when the time for the Calendar presentation had already expired and therefore, there was no possibility to include a new MotoGP™ event.

Anyhow, Dorna Sports commits itself to include Gran Premio de la Republica Argentina on the 2014 Calendar and onwards, to be approved by FIM subject to the homologation of the track, which presumably shall take place within the first quarter of 2013.

Dorna Sports recognizes the Gran Premio de la Republica Argentina Promoter’s efforts regarding the satisfactorily termination of the construction works and the organization and promotion preliminary activities.