Victoria has lost the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix after nearly three decades, ending the race’s long-standing ties to Phillip Island and dealing a setback to the Victorian government, which refused to relocate the event to Melbourne.
Sports and Events Minister Steve Dimopoulos confirmed the government rejected requests from event organisers to move the race to Melbourne’s Albert Park. Such a move would have required expanding the track and potentially removing trees to accommodate motorcycling’s larger run-off areas.
The decision comes just a day after the Victorian government offered additional funds to keep the MotoGP at Phillip Island. However, Dimopoulos clarified that funding was not the issue in the negotiations.
For months, the Australian Grand Prix Corporation had been in tense discussions with promoter MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group (formerly Dorna) to extend the race’s contract at the iconic Phillip Island circuit. On Wednesday, Dimopoulos announced that the 30th MotoGP at Phillip Island this October would be the last.
South Australia will take over the event, hosting it on a revised layout around the streets of Adelaide, using parts of the former Grand Prix layout and is being touted as MotoGP’s first ever street race.
Adelaide currently holds the Supercars Grand Final and previously hosted Australia’s Formula One Grand Prix before it moved to Melbourne in 1996.
Phillip Island’s final MotoGP will run from October 23-25 this year, marking a significant loss for the island’s tourism and economy. Last year’s event drew 93,000 spectators and was estimated to generate over $54 million annually for Victoria’s economy.
