If you're a MotoGP fan like me, the idea of losing Phillip Island as a race venue has been weighing on you since you heard that the contract expires in 2026. MotoGP Sports Entertainment, formally Dorna Sports, showed no signs of renewing a contract with Phillip and instead eyed replacing it with Formula 1's track down under, Albert Park. Now, we know how the plans are shaping up.
The idea to swap Phillip Island for Albert Park has been on MotoGP fans' minds globally since the end of the 2025 season, but local authorities are doing their best to make sure Phillip Island remains the sole host of Australian MotoGP racing. Recently, the Allan Labor government rejected MotoGP Sport Entrainment Group's approach to move the venue. But the interaction between the government and MotoGP's managing body wasn't entirely negative.
The Victorian government told MotoGP Sport Entrainment that it would provide additional funding to the Australian round of MotoGP, but only if MotoGP agrees to keep Phillip Island as its race venue. The funds are specifically intended to update the circuit's facilities, which the folks in charge of the Phillip Island circuit were supposed to do, but never did. Even if this is the greatest circuit on the calendar, in terms of entertainment, you can appreciate MotoGP Sport Entertainment's frustration regarding the state of the circuit, which has been on the Grand Prix motorcycle racing calendar for more than three decades.
A statement from the Victorian government reads:
"The Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix is synonymous with Phillip Island, and Victoria is proud to support it. Today, the Allan Labor Government ruled out a request from Dorna Sports to move the event from Phillip Island to Albert Park.
“As regional Australia’s biggest international sporting event, the Motorcycle GP brings tens of thousands of visitors to Phillip Island every year. It’s good for tourism, good for local businesses, and good for jobs. Victoria has agreed to contribute additional funding to help Dorna Sports create a bigger, better event beyond 2026, but only on the condition that the event remains at Phillip Island.
“Phillip Island is the home of MotoGP. It has held the event 29 times. It is an iconic circuit with a magnificent history.”
It's annoying to think that the people in charge of Phillip Island let the circuit get so bad that it could be taken away from us as racing fans. Hopefully, the understanding that no one track is bigger than the sport and the additional funding from the Victorian government will give the track's managers the wake-up call they need to bring the circuit and its facilities up to the quality that fans and riders deserve.
