- Race looks set to move to Adelaide, South Australia, from 2027
- Victorian government promised to commit additional funds if race stayed at Phillip Island
MotoGP’s Australian Grand Prix will depart Phillip Island after this season, as confirmed by the local government.
A statement released on Tuesday revealed that MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group, formerly known as Dorna Sports, had requested for the event to be moved to Albert Park, the host of the Formula One Grand Prix, from 2027.
The request was rejected and the Victorian government promised to commit additional funding to future races on the condition it remained at Phillip Island. Despite this, MotoGP has pushed ahead with its relocation plans.
“We know that we could have kept [the race] in Victoria, had we sold out Phillip Island. We were never willing to sell out Phillip Island,” minister for sports and events Steve Dimopoulos told local media, as reported by ABC.
“We met every other request. We met the licence fee, we met everything else, in fact, went beyond it.”
Dimopoulos also confirmed that the location for the 2027 race is set but that it is “not [his] news to share”.
Early reports indicate that Adelaide is the most likely destination, and a joint statement from MotoGP and the South Australian government could come as early as Thursday.
This will be frustrating news for the local area. According to the Victorian government’s statement, the race is the ‘biggest international sporting event’ and ‘brings tens of thousands of visitors to Phillip Island every year’.
Phillip Island has hosted the Australian round of the MotoGP schedule since 1997 and has proven to be a favourite among riders during its stint, but its outdated facilities proved to be its downfall.
MotoGP’s new owner Liberty Media has a proven track record of demanding promoters to undertake substantial circuit renovations to remain on the Formula One calendar, with the Hungaroring and the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya being two recent examples. This approach looks set to be replicated in MotoGP.
MotoGP sporting director Carlos Ezpeleta told Motosport.com as much in a recent interview.
“They need to make improvements to bring the event up to the standards we want for MotoGP, in terms of infrastructure, the pit area, the paddock and access,” he said.
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