When the former F1 circuit in Adelaide was first discussed as a possible venue for the 2027 MotoGP event in Australia in February 2026, critics complained of a return to the dark past. But Adelaide was never considered a true street circuit. Nevertheless, the new GP circuit faces many challenges.
The future of the Phillip Island GP (first held in 1989) has been shrouded in uncertainty for many years. On the one hand, attendance figures plummeted after the retirement of serial winner Casey Stoner; in October 2025, only 37,191 spectators paid admission on Sunday. The Linfox Property Group, owned by track proprietor Lindsay Fox and his son Andrew Fox, never invested enough money in improving the track's deplorable infrastructure, even though a growing number of potential MotoGP venues around the world, from Lombok and Goiânia to Saudi Arabia and Balaton Park, were prepared to invest exorbitant sums in new GP locations. As a result, the maximum number of Grand Prix races had long since been increased from 18 to 20 and most recently to 22 events.
However, the Australian GP at Phillip Island had also caused Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta headaches in recent years for other reasons. Practice sessions had repeatedly had to be postponed or cancelled due to unpredictable weather (the September/October dates correspond to the Australian spring), such as strong winds, low temperatures, and torrential rain. In 2023, the MotoGP race was even moved to Saturday due to dire weather forecasts. The constant threat from wild animals also concerned riders and officials.
The Australian Grand Prix Corporation (AGPC), the local MotoGP organizer, refused to accept an April date because it organizes the Formula 1 season opener in Melbourne in March. Furthermore, Ezpeleta repeatedly pointed out: "At Phillip Island, the second Superbike World Championship race once even had to be cancelled in April due to flooding."
Dorna Sports, S.L., which was renamed "MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group" after its acquisition by Liberty Media, had other issues with the Aussie GP promoter. Dorna Managing Director Javier Alonso had once, for dubious reasons, granted the AGPC a favourable 10-year contract until the end of 2026, even though Dorna's GP contracts typically run for 3 to 5 years.
Dorna officials considered several times revoking Phillip Island's Grade A homologation, which would have invalidated the long-term contract. Carmelo Ezpeleta and his son Carlos visited the attractive new "The Bend" circuit near Adelaide as early as 2019 and made no secret of the fact that this arena was being considered as a future Grand Prix venue.
At the same time, the Phillip Island Grand Prix became a financial black hole. In 2023, the AGPC incurred a loss of AU$26 million, with the state of Victoria contributing subsidies of almost AU$20 million. The meager revenues amounted to AU$9 million. The total cost for hosting the Grand Prix was AU$39.8 million. It was rumoured that track owner Fox received up to AU$2.7 million for the one-week track rental.
After 2026, the Australian Grand Prix will move to the Adelaide street circuit, which was already a popular Formula 1 Grand Prix venue in the 1980s. The outcry among MotoGP fans was enormous. Liberty Media was accused of greed, and rider safety was allegedly sacrificed for the sake of spectacle.
But local hero Jack Miller showed understanding for the move from the start. "My own family spent $6,000 to $7,000 a year on flights, rental cars, and house rent in Cowes. Many Australian fans preferred to fly to Sepang, where the track is only 5 km from the airport, and the costs are much lower."
The 3.780 km Adelaide street circuit was used as the venue for the Formula One Australian Grand Prix from 1985 to 1995, and also hosted an American Le Mans Series endurance race (Race of a Thousand Years) on New Year's Eve 1999. But the preemptive hysteria of some reporters and loyal Phillip Island fans seems misplaced, because a safe and modern MotoGP racetrack is to be built in Adelaide. Carmelo Ezpeleta, in his more than 34 years as CEO, has always been attentive to the needs of his GP riders. The new Australian GP circuit will not be a rat hole, a life-threatening labyrinth of curves between concrete walls. The Aussie GP is moving from the remote no-man's-land of Cowes to a vibrant metropolis, and the track was never actually a street circuit. Like the former F1 track, the new Adelaide MotoGP circuit will wind its way through the magnificent, panoramic parkland, and there will be ample space for run-off areas.
But in Adelaide, the coastal metropolis on the Indian Ocean in the state of South Australia, there is still much to be done before the circuit receives Grade A homologation. The Grand Prix is potentially scheduled for March or April instead of autumn. Six months ago, there was talk of Adelaide being equipped with a modern floodlight system to allow the races to be broadcast in Europe during prime time instead of at dawn. The "Race of a Thousand Years" motor race was already held under floodlights, which led to numerous lawsuits from disturbed neighbours.
Furthermore, environmentalists are trying to prevent the planned felling of 40 ancient eucalyptus trees.
Currently, reports from Australia indicate disagreements between the City Council and the State Government. Mayor Dr. Jane Lomax-Smith, a former Labor Party member of parliament, does not support the Grand Prix – due to the high costs and environmental concerns. Another point of contention is the planned Greg Norman golf course, which is also to be co-financed by the South Australian government.
However, the speculations of Australian MotoGP fans that the World Championship race could remain at the idyllic Phillip Island circuit due to the Adelaide GP's rivals, take place at Bend Motorsport Park, or somehow be integrated into the legendary 6.213 km Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst will not come to pass. Even Shanghai in China was mentioned as an alternative location.
The current MotoGP promoter and rights holder, Dorna Sports, which officially operates under the name MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group after its acquisition by Liberty Media, is completely convinced that the 2027 Adelaide MotoGP event will go ahead as planned.
Adelaide is now supposed to be the third different location for the Motorcycle Grand Prix in Australia. The Grand Prix was held at Phillip Island from 1989 to 1990, then moved to Eastern Creek near Sydney for six years from 1991 to 1996 due to a ban on tobacco advertising in the state of Victoria. The World Championship returned to the island south of Melbourne in 1997, but the 2020 and 2021 Grands Prix were cancelled due to the Covid pandemic.
Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta assured everyone after the Assen Grand Prix that Adelaide's bid for 2027 was not at risk. "And the Grand Prix will not be a night race," he announced.