Argentina race dropped from 2013 MotoGP calendar

Argentina's MotoGP race next year has been dropped from the calendar and will not be replaced after motorcycling bosses ran out of time to solve a row involving Spanish oil firm Repsol and the Spanish and Argentine governments.

A MotoGP statement on Friday said the sport's commercial rights holder Dorna was, however, committed to an Argentine grand prix in 2014 and beyond if the Termas de Rio Hondo track is approved.

In June, the Spanish government recommended that teams and riders sponsored by Repsol should not travel to Argentina on safety grounds after the Argentines nationalised Repsol's interest there.

The deadline for Spanish-based Dorna to confirm the 2013 calendar was Nov. 18, two days before the Spanish withdrew their recommendation.

"The time for the calendar presentation had already expired and therefore, there was no possibility to include a new MotoGP event," the statement said, meaning there will now be 18 and not 19 races next year.

The only other change to the previously published 2013 calendar, which includes a third United States leg at Austin, is the opening race in Qatar being pushed back to April 7.