Bold move, big questions: Adelaide eyes MotoGP’s first-ever street race, aiming to replace Phillip Island’s long-standing Grand Prix as Australia’s centerpiece event. Here’s how the puzzle is unfolding and what it could mean for fans, teams, and the calendar.
Victoria’s government publicly rejected MotoGP Sports Entertainment’s (the promoter behind the World Championship, formerly Dorna) proposal to relocate the Australian Grand Prix from Phillip Island to Melbourne’s Albert Park circuit. Albert Park already hosts Formula 1’s Australian Grand Prix, with the 2026 race scheduled for next March. In response, Victoria’s administration signaled it would not proceed with the alternative plan and pledged funding to upgrade Phillip Island, whose contract with the promoter runs through 2026.
Yet signals from the leadership indicate the counterproposal hasn’t satisfied MotoGP’s leadership. As a result, October’s event on the iconic Phillip Island track could be the last MotoGP round hosted there, the circuit sitting roughly 140 kilometers south of Melbourne.
Meanwhile, South Australia has emerged with a highly enticing bid to MotoGP Sports Entertainment, outlining plans for what would become the first true street circuit to host a MotoGP round. The Mandalika circuit in Lombok, Indonesia, is often described as semi-street—yet visitors will tell you it isn’t a pure street race in practice.
Carlos Ezpeleta, MotoGP’s sporting director and one of the sport’s top executives, flew from Barcelona to Adelaide last Tuesday. A formal announcement about Adelaide’s proposal could come in the next hours.
South Australia’s push appears driven by a clear hunger to land a major international event, and insiders say their bid is more ambitious than Victoria’s. With the current agreement between MotoGP Sports Entertainment and the Victorian government expiring in 2026, any new deal hinted at with Adelaide would likely start in 2027, contingent on completing the necessary construction.
Historically, Adelaide isn’t new to this game—it hosted Formula 1’s Australian Grand Prix from 1985 to 1995, a legacy that could help bolster its bid for MotoGP’s street-race ambitions.
Weigh in: Do you think a true street circuit in Adelaide would energize MotoGP in Australia, or would it risk diluting Phillip Island’s historic appeal? If Adelaide wins, should the sport prioritize a groundbreaking venue or preserve a cherished traditional circuit? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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