In the MotoGP World Championship there are 18 stops on the calendar at different race venues, and the series has a penchant for looking to expand its global reach. It seems just about every season there’s a bevy of rumors about possible venues the premier class of motorcycle racing could stop at, and 2011 season is no different.
While a Spanish GP is a sure-fire way of ensuring a massive attendance, there does seem to be some motivation in Dorna to spread the wealth as it were, and the Secretary of Tourism of Argentina has made it clear he’d like to see MotoGP racing back on the South American continent, preferably at the Autódromo Termas de Río Hondo just outside of San Juan.
Part of what fuels the fire is the fact that motorcycling is a growing sport in many developing nations, and Dorna would be keen on taking advantage of those populations. The other factor that puts fuel on the flame are the seven grand prix races that take place in either Spain or Italy (we’re throwing the round at Estoril in with that number since, well…it’s attended by a boatload of Spaniards).
While the Argentinean Government may or may not be talking to Dorna about bringing a race to South America, the Secretary of Tourism has made it no secret that he’d like to see his country on the calendar for either the 2012 or 2013 MotoGP season. Since we already have some insight onto how much a venue needs to pay Dorna to be blessed with such an occasion, we imagine there’s a fair amount of politics involved in meeting Dorna’s fee. Afterall, one cannot expect the Spanish media company to drop one of its home venues, which pay a lucrative amount of money to the firm, if an alternate choice isn’t equally appealing.
Time will tell if things workout for our southern Spanish-speaking friends with their bid to lure MotoGP onto their continent. With the booming economies we see gearing up in places like Argentina and Brazil, hopefully we’ll see a GP race find its way to their venues, because frankly we think Spain and Italy are running out of tracks, and the World Championship status might be in danger if all the races are held in two countries (ahem, baseball).
Source: El Liberal via MotoBlog.it
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