Argentina Grand Prix

The Argentine Republic Grand Prix (also called the Argentina GP) has been a sporadic race in the MotoGP calendar since the debut running of the round in the 1961 season.

Argentina has a rich history in motorsport and made history when it ran the first-ever 500cc world championship round held outside Europe in 1961. One of their own also won the first running of the Argentina Grand Prix as Jorge Kissling triumphed at the season-ending race.

Yet after holding the round again in 1962 and ‘63, the 500cc world championship did not run another Argentina GP until 1982. It was also just a flying visit as apart from in the 1987 term, there was not an Argentina GP until 1994-99. MotoGP returned to the Argentina GP in 2014.

History of the MotoGP Argentina Grand Prix

The 500cc world championship visited South America to end the 1961 season by staging the inaugural Argentina Grand Prix at the Autodromo Oscar y Juan Galvez in Buenos Aires. But it would not feature that season’s world champion Gary Hocking or runner-up Mike Hailwood.

Instead, Kissling saw that a home pilot won the debut Argentina GP aboard a Matchless bike at the only round of the 1961 campaign the Buenos Aires native entered. A home rider even won the second running of the Argentina GP as Benedicto Caldarella was victorious in 1962.

Again, not all of those in the 1962 500cc world championship did the Argentina GP with new champion Hailwood among those to skip it. But the Briton did race in the 1963 Argentina GP and won for the last of Hailwood’s seven victories en route to his second of four 500cc titles.

Buenos Aries then saw a run of American and Australian dominance as Kenny Roberts, Eddie Lawson, Mick Doohan and Kenny Roberts Jr won every running of the Argentina GP from the 1982 to the ‘99 race. Doohan won three Argentina Grands Prix in a row in 1994, ‘95 and ‘98.

But after convincing the 500cc world championship to return to the Autodromo Oscar y Juan Galvez, the series pulled out again after Roberts Jr won in 1999. The Argentina GP would not then return to the calendar until the 2014 MotoGP season, when Marc Marquez triumphed.

MotoGP revived the Argentina Grand Prix in 2014 but the race has faced frequent issues

MotoGP also did not head back to the Autodromo Oscar y Juan Galvez with the Autodromo Termas de Rio Hondo becoming the home of the Argentina GP. The race’s new home would see Marquez hand Honda glory for the third of his incredible 10 in a row to start the season.

Spanish riders have since enjoyed regular success at the Argentina GP with Maverick Vinales and Aleix Espargaro joining Marquez in reaching the top step of a podium in Buenos Aires. It was a different story in 2018, though, as Cal Crutchlow secured a historic Argentina GP win.

Crutchlow took the 750th premier class race win for a Honda bike at the 2018 Argentina GP. His victory in Buenos Aires even made Crutchlow the first British rider since Barry Sheene in 1979 to top the riders’ standings. It proved to be the last of the Coventry native’s three wins.

The 2018 Argentina GP even started in perplexing fashion as only pole-sitter Jack Miller with his Pramac team fitted slick tyres after the race was declared as wet. Yet, as conditions were improving quickly, every rider who fit wet tyres returned to the pits before the warm-up lap.

MotoGP’s rules stated that riders who left the grid before the warm-up lap had to then start the race in the pit lane. But as so many went to the pits, race officials felt it would be unsafe to. So, the original grid order was used but with a few rows left empty to afford Miller a gap.

History was also made when MotoGP raced at the Autodromo Termas de Rio Honda in 2022 as Espargaro won the Argentina Grand Prix to hand Aprilia their first-ever premier class race win and also his first. The Spaniard had also scored his and the team’s maiden pole position.

The Covid-19 pandemic forced MotoGP to cancel the 2020 running of the Argentina GP, and also abandon plans to return in 2021. MotoGP would also have to scrap the 2024 edition on the eve of the season when a change in government meant the race lost its crucial funding.

What is the Autodromo Termas de Rio Hondo like?

The Autodromo Termas de Rio Hondo which has staged the Argentina Grand Prix since 2014 is located in the province of Santiago del Estero, around 6km (3.7m) from the city it takes its name from. The circuit officially opened in 2008 but underwent extensive upgrades in 2012.

Refurbishment work in 2012 saw the Autodromo Termas de Rio Hondo modernise its circuit and enlarge its site in the aim of improving its safety standards. The changes resulted in the 14-turn, clockwise circuit that convinced MotoGP to revive the Argentina Grand Prix in 2014.

Turn 1 became a 180° hairpin right-hand corner, instead of the sweeping turn onto the 1,350 metre-long straight which was also trimmed to 1,076m. Turn 6 of the revised layout is also a vital, sweeping bend with riders often fighting to control their bike as the rear-end steps out.

Given the sweeping Turn 5 hairpin follows the longest straight at the Autodromo Termas de Rio Honda, the corner is the major overtaking point during an Argentina Grand Prix. Turns 1, 7 and 13 also present riders with their best chances for a natural chance to complete a pass.

Winners of the MotoGP Argentina Grand Prix

Below, MotoGP News has listed every premier class rider to win the Argentina Grand Prix…