MotoGP's Argentine Grand Prix, a familiar fixture on the series calendar, has been officially called off for 2024 - although a return is "hoped" for in the future.
This year's edition of the Termas de Rio Hondo meeting was immediately speculated as being under threat when Argentina got a new president in Javier Milei - given Milei's political alignment and the fact the race has relied heavily on government subsidising.
That speculation only intensified in recent days, and MotoGP has now made it official that the Argentina event, slated to be the third round of this year's schedule on April 5-7, would not go ahead.
The series has cited "current circumstances" that have led the race promoter to inform MotoGP that "it is currently unable to guarantee the services required for the grand prix to take place in 2024 at MotoGP standards".
The now-vacant calendar slot at the start of April will not be filled. But it only means a two-weekend gap between the preceding round at Portimao and the round at the Circuit of the Americas that was to come the following weekend after Termas.
Termas had hosted MotoGP since 2014, albeit skipping 2020-21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The series has said it "hopes to return to race at Termas in 2025", which is the final year of its current contract with the series.
The decision means a 21-round MotoGP calendar this year.
Of MotoGP's five current manufacturers, the loss of the Termas round will come as a likely blow to Aprilia in particular. It has thrived at the venue's traditionally low-grip surface and ended a two-decade MotoGP win drought there in 2022.
It might also come as a bit of a disappointment to star Ducati newcomer Marc Marquez, who has won three of the eight Argentine Grands Prix since Termas was added to MotoGP.
