Dorna Sports announced there will be a MotoGP test at Argentina’s Circuito Internacional Termas de Rio Hondo in July to allow teams to prepare for the track’s expected addition to the 2014 MotoGP calendar.

Argentina was actually supposed to join the MotoGP tour this season, but the round was scrapped because of a dispute between the country and Spain after the Argentine government seized control of a Repsol subsidiary. Repsol is, of course, a prominent sponsor of several teams including Honda‘s factory team.

A number of teams will take part in the test, which will take place July 1-5 following the TT Assen in the Netherlands. Dorna has not said which teams will take part in the test, only stating representatives of Ducati, Honda and Yamaha will be taking part. MotoMatters however reports the Repsol Honda factory team, the LCR Honda team as well as the factory Yamaha team will not be present. Continue Reading »

Dakar Rally organizers have revealed the route for the 2014 edition of the legendary off-road race. Scheduled for Jan. 5-18, 2014, the 35th edition of the Dakar Rally returns to South America and adds Bolivia to its route. The route will include several marathon stages and special stages, testing competitors’ endurance as well as their tactics.

The 2014 Dakar Rally will begin in Rosario, Argentina, the birthplace of Che Guevara located on the Paraná River  about 185 miles northwest of Buenos Aires. From Rosario, the route travels westward before turning north towards San Juan and continuing alongside the Andes to Salta, which will host a rest day Jan. 11. From Salta, the route travels north to the Bolivian border. Continue Reading »

Anyone who has read a comic book has probably dreamed about putting on a mask and going out to strike terror into the hearts of evil-doers. A 43-year-old man in Argentina has been doing just that, dressing up and taking the name “Menganno” and patrolling the streets of Buenos Aires on a Bajaj Pulsar 200.

Menganno has been patrolling his neighborhood since at least 2010, usually in makeshift armor carrying a flashlight, pepper spray and a Captain Amerca-style blue and white shield. He added another weapon to an arsenal recently which has landed him in hot water with (actual) law enforcement, leading to Menganno being unmasked as Oscar Lefosse, a former police officer who served from 1986 to 1996.

In late January, Lefosse and his wife arrived at their home and allegedly came upon three robbers. Lefosse allegedly pulled out a Glock and opened fire at the intruders. Someone posting as Menganno on his official Facebook page claimed the three intruders were also armed and attacking him, posting a picture of his bullet-riddled car. Law enforcement officials dispute this account, according to The Telegraph, saying the bullets were fired from inside the car. Continue Reading »

Dorna announced it has removed Argentina from the 2013 MotoGP calendar over fears for the safety of Repsol employees – including Repsol-sponsored racers – following the Argentine government’s expropriation of the oil company’s local subsidiary.

Back in April, the Argentine government passed law 660 and expropriated 51% share of YPF, a Repsol subsidiary. The move created tensions between Argentina and Spain, leading Spain to issue a travel warning  for Repsol staff, advising them not to travel to the South American country.

Despite the continuing controversy, Argentina was penciled into the provisional 2013 MotoGP calendar released in September as the “to be confirmed” April 14 round in the hopes a resolution would be found. Continue Reading »

Although I’ve never followed the Dakar Rally (formerly known as Paris-Dakar) intently, I’ve nevertheless been fascinated by the machines and men competing in this seemingly impossible-to-finish race. As far as I’m concerned it’s less a race and more a brutal test of human endurance.

Continue Reading »