In a shocking turn of events, the Australian MotoGP will take place on a revised version of the Adelaide street circuit from 2027 onwards. The decision itself hasn’t come out of the blue completely for those following closely, but it was announced surprisingly quickly after the Victorian government blocked MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group, formerly Dorna Sports, from using its Albert Park F1 track and offered extra funding to get Phillip Island up to spec.
Within a day of the news breaking that MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group’s proposal to use the Albert Park F1 track, Carlos Ezpeleta, Chief Sporting Officer of MotoGP, was seen landing in Adelaide, welcomed at the airport by the Bend Motorsport Park's billionaire owner, Sam Shahin, as shown in the main image. Clearly, the decision to move the November MotoGP round to the Adelaide street circuit was in the works well before the Victorian government rejected MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group’s proposal.
The Adelaide event is scheduled to take place over three days in November 2027, and is locked in for a six-year deal. The temporary street circuit will feature 18 corners over a 2.6-mile course, which runs through the city center. Top speeds should exceed 211 mph, leaving many questions over how safe organizers can make the track for motorcycles. For reference, the last time grand prix motorcycle racing took place on a street circuit was in August 1981, at Imatra, Finland, but it was eventually deemed too dangerous.
According to Ezpeleta, " From the very beginning, together with the FIM, we made sure that safety remained uncompromised—every element of the Adelaide Street Circuit has been engineered to meet the highest standards of modern MotoGP, ensuring riders can race at full intensity with complete confidence."
With all the planning that went into the move, it’s hard to imagine the organizers didn’t foresee how angry and concerned fans would be. The comment section of MotoGP's Instagram post announcing the move to Adelaide's street circuit was a flood of negativity, between losing what many viewers and riders consider to be the best circuit in Phillip Island, to questions over how a street circuit can be made safe enough for modern bikes. You can delve into the comments below.
I haven't heard a positive reaction to this move apart from Ezpeleta and those who stand to benefit from this move in Adelaide. The most common reactions from Australian motorcycle heros to first street race of the modern era, are sadness over the fact Phillip Island let the event slip out of its grasp. Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix winner and Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductee, Wayne Gardner, said, "I'm disappointed and I'm sad to hear the bad news. And it's just not right." When speaking about his statue at Phillip Island, Gardner said, "I might jam it up their arses, actually,"
Two-time MotoGP champion, Casey Stoner, took to Instagram to blast the decision from every angle, saying, "One of the greatest motorcycle circuits in the world that has produced some of the greatest and most entertaining races we have witnessed, and continues to do so year after year, is being pushed to the side in place of a race in Adelaide and supposedly a street circuit,"
I won't comment on the safety of the circuit until we see the plans, but knowing that I've potentially lost the opportunity to ever see MotoGP machinery race around Phillip Island has completely deflated me. Let us know your thoughts on the decision.
