Iconic event on the move as Adelaide swoops in to end MotoGP's 30-year run at Phillip Island
Updated . First published at
Victoria and its Phillip Island Circuit have lost the Australian MotoGP, with the streets of Adelaide set to snatch the event.
9News Melbourne journalist Trent Kniese broke the news on Wednesday afternoon, with the deal set to come into place from 2027 onwards.
The Victorian Government reportedly offered additional funding to keep the round of MotoGP on Phillip Island, but Adelaide has come over the top and secured a deal.
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Victoria has hosted the motorcycle grand prix for over 30 years, dating back to the 1990s.
No official announcement on the move to Adelaide has been made at this stage, but Kniese says the race will now become a street circuit upon making the move.
"The race is set to be ripped away (from Phillip Island) with the South Australian government swooping in to secure the race from 2027," Kniese told 9News Melbourne.
"This deal is likely to be signed off in Adelaide this evening, with an official announcement likely as early as tomorrow.
"And this isn't just a change in venue. It's a complete reinvention. I'm told the event would move to a street circuit in Adelaide.
"The first MotoGP street race on the calendar anywhere in the world.
MotoGP. Getty
"It's a bold, high risk play designed to transform the event into a city-based spectacle.
"As it stands right now this is a crushing blow for Phillip Island and the entire state of Victoria."
It has been reported that organisers pushed for Victoria to move the event from Phillip Island to Albert Park, home of the Formula 1 Grand Prix.
However, the Victorian Government was strongly against such a move, given the impact it would have on locals.
