will hold the first race on a street circuit in its history—or, at least, in modern history—in 2027. It will do so in the city of Adelaide, in South Australia, which will take over the baton on the calendar, south of Melbourne. It will be the first time that the motogp roll through the streets of the city, as was done historically, although with much less danger today and with safety as a necessity, almost obsession, of the promoters of the contest. Montjuic, for example, was on the calendar until 1972.
This was announced this Thursday by the organizing company of the Motorcycle World Championship, and since this Wednesday by MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group, as the company had communicated a day before. A change in nomenclature that, they advanced, responded to “a global ambition to expand the MotoGP brand” through innovation and the perception of the sport as entertainment.
The new layout highlights the ambition to expand the borders and scope of the discipline, and underlines the desire to get closer to the world’s large urban centers. It is also the first visible movement – there have been others behind the scenes – of . Behind the change of location there is also a disagreement with the authorities of the state of Victoria, who rejected this week the championship’s proposal to move the Australian GP to the Albert Park circuit, which hosts Formula 1.
“Bringing MotoGP to Adelaide represents a great milestone in the evolution of our championship,” explains Carlos Ezpeleta, sporting director of the event. “The opportunity to design a custom circuit on the streets of the city is something unique for our sport. From the first moment, together with the FIM, we have made sure not to put safety at risk. Every element of the Adelaide urban circuit has been designed to meet the highest standards of modern MotoGP, certifying that the riders can compete at maximum intensity with total confidence,” says the 35-year-old Spanish executive.
The proximity of walls and barriers has largely prevented the presence of urban races in the modern MotoGP calendar, and there are many who raise their eyebrows at this decision by the championship promoters. Some privately, others publicly. “and which has produced some of the most entertaining races we have witnessed over the years is being set aside to place a race in Adelaide, and supposedly on a street circuit…”, lamented Casey Stoner, two-time world champion and local legend of the specialty, hours before the news was confirmed.
The first modern urban MotoGP layout will use much of the same circuit that hosted Formula 1 between 1985 and 1995, and will have 4,195 kilometers of route and 18 corners per lap. The motorcycles are expected to reach more than 340 km/h, a dizzying speed when it is realized that certain points will inevitably have the barriers close to the riders. On paper, to mitigate increased safety risks, the new layout will extend across Victoria Park and eliminate some sections of the old track, such as the angled turns on the Wakerfield and Flinders straights.
Local promoters now have until November 2027 to plan and execute the MotoGP acclimatization works, the scheduled date for the relaunch of the route and the emergence of the motorcycling elite on the streets of the Australian city. The organizers hope to leave an economic footprint of around 130 million euros annually in the territory, and the exploitation contract will be for six years and will extend until 2032. “Hosting the first urban MotoGP race will give Adelaide a unique offer that is sure to attract visitors from other states and abroad… This goes far beyond organizing a top-level sporting event, it is about generating economic activity, supporting job creation and placing South Australia on the global stage,” says Peter. Malinauskas, prime minister of the southern state.
The disappearance of Phillip Island will be difficult to digest, as Jack Miller, of Pramac Yamaha, demonstrated during the same presentation of the new event in the oceanic country. “This will be a disappointment for everyone. Phillip Island has been one of the drivers’ favorite circuits for a long time. On the one hand it is very, very sad, but at the same time we are facing an exciting project,” commented the current Australian representative of the grid, 31 years old.
The track located south of Melbourne hosted the first Australian motorcycle GP in 1989, and since 1997 it has been uninterruptedly present on the calendar (with the exception of the years of the covid-19 pandemic). “Throughout all this time, Phillip Island has been celebrated by riders, teams and fans as one of the fastest, most difficult and spectacular circuits on the MotoGP calendar,” boasted the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, current promoter of the event after learning of the change of venue, which described the decision as “disappointing.”
The lack of adequate infrastructure and little political will to renew the route’s old facilities have weighed, among other factors, on the decision to change the scenario. The usual and unpredictable bad weather on the island in the months of October and November, with heavy rain and winds that have forced the cancellation of more than one official session on the circuit, have also played an important factor in the decision to move to Adelaide, where the weather is warm and much more pleasant at that same time of year.
