The "long-awaited day arrived" last weekend for Argentine MotoGP fans when the series returned to Argentina for its first race in the country since '99, according to Miguel Angel Sebastián of CLARIN. Fans from "throughout the country invaded the Termas de Río Hondo track." The race's organizers "expected it to attract more than 58,000 spectators" (CLARIN, 4/27). CNN's Jonathan Hawkins wrote "for a championship with a distinctly Iberian streak, it is no surprise that South America should be high on MotoGP's list of territories to conquer." The last time Argentine fans "heard the roar of grand prix bikes," current champion Marc Marquez "was just six years old." Enthusiasm for the sport "in these parts is clear." In March, as the drivers "lined up on the grid for the season's opening race in Qatar, 65,000 tickets had already been sold." MotoGP rights holder Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta said, "There is interest in MotoGP in this country, and a circuit and track at the best level possible, with FIM homologation, and with the government of Santiago del Estero completely committed and involved in the project. Argentina is a country that deserves to have MotoGP" (CNN, 4/25).
