MotoGP cargo plane breakdown in Mombasa while en route to Argentina

Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) has expressed concern on whether the Argentine Grand Prix will take place from April 1-3 after a cargo plane full of freight malfunctioned in Mombasa.

After the Pertamina Grand Prix of Indonesia, five cargo planes full of freight took off from the island of Lombok on Sunday, March 20 bound for Termas de Rio Hondo in Argentina for round three of the 2022 season.

The planes stopped off at Mombasa before continuing on to South America, with some of the freight arriving at Termas de Rio Honda on Saturday, March 26.

However, as first reported by Sky Italy and verified by Motorsport.com, one of the five cargo planes remains grounded in Mombasa after a technical fault was discovered on the aircraft.

TOPSHOT - Repsol Honda Team's Spanish rider Marc Marquez reacts at the end of the qualifying session of the Moto GP Grand Prix of the Czech Republic in Brno on August 3, 2019. (Photo by Michal CIZEK / AFP via Getty Images) Pulse Live Kenya

According to Sky Italy; Ducati squad, as well as Gresini Racing and Valentino Rossi's VR46 won't receive the freight at Termas de Rio Hondo until Thursday.

This will force them into a quick turnaround to get their pit boxes and bikes ready for Friday's first practice session – which will take place at 10:50am local time.

This weekend's Argentine GP marks the first in the country since the COVID-19 pandemic started, as the previous two events had to be scrapped because of the disruption caused by the virus.

LOMBOK, INDONESIA - MARCH 20: Moto3 rider Diogo Moreira #10 of Brazil and MT Helmets - MSI in action during the Moto3 Grand Prix of Indonesia warm up session at Mandalika International Street Circuit on March 20, 2022 in Lombok, Indonesia. (Photo by Robertus Pudyanto/Getty Images) Pulse Live Kenya

Coming into the Argentina weekend, Gresini Ducati's Enea Bastianini continues to lead the standings by two points after a difficult outing in the wet Indonesian GP, while KTM's Brad Binder is his closest rival.

Honda announced ahead of the race that six-time world champion Marc Marquez will not be available this weekend as he continues to recover from double vision issues he suffered as a result of a massive crash in Indonesia.