Victoria is set to lose the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix following a breakdown in negotiations with MotoGP bosses, with the great race now due to return to South Australia following a 30-year hiatus.
The move is a major blow for the Victorian Government, who had reportedly been in negotiations for several months with rights holder Dorna Sports over an extension on the deal to host the MotoGP race.
According to the Australian Financial Review, Dorna Sports had applied to the government to move the race from its usual home at Phillip Island to Albert Park.
However, Jacinta Allan’s office reportedly blocked the request, stating that it would provide more funding to make the race ‘bigger and better’ on the proviso that it stayed on Phillip Island.
While an official confirmation is yet to come, it is expected that the race is now due to be hosted in Adelaide from 2027 onwards.
Victoria’s tourism, sport and major events minister Steve Dimopoulos insisted that the government was unwilling to ‘sell out Phillip Island.’
Phillip Island will, from 2027 onwards, no longer be the host of the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, with South Australia poaching the great race from it’s rival
MotoGP rights holder Dorna Sports had applied to the Victorian Government to move the race from Phillip Island to Albert Park, but Premier Jacinta Allan’s office blocked the move
‘I’m very disappointed after 29 years of what has been an extraordinary partnership,’ Dimopoulos said.
‘I wish MotoGP all the best with their second choice.’
Approximately 91,000 spectators arrived at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in 2025 to watch the race. The Victorian Government reported that the 2023 edition of the Australian Grand Prix had generated around $54.6million.
On Victoria’s decision to reject proposals for a move to Albert Park, Dimopoulos said: ‘In any negotiation, you have to draw a line; otherwise, you’re not worth anything.
‘The line we drew is we were backing regional Victoria and Phillip Island, and the line that they drew obviously was: “If you’re not moving it to Albert Park, we’re out”.’
Albert Park hosts the annual Formula One Grand Prix in Australia, but the race track is considered perhaps too narrow for MotoGP racing. To make it suitable, organisers would need to widen the barriers and expand the race course.
While a disappointment for Victoria, it is a major coup for South Australia Premier Peter Malinauskas, particularly ahead of the upcoming state elections in March.
Adelaide’s street circuit at Victoria Park had initially been the host of the great race before Melbourne pinched it in the 1990s, prompting great outrage among locals.
Adelaide’s street circuit at Victoria Park had initially been the host of the great race before Melbourne pinched it in the 1990s, prompting great outrage among locals
Premier Peter Malinauskas (pictured) was asked about his state gaining the rights to host the race on Wednesday, stating that he was ‘not going to start playing speculative games’
Malinauskas was asked about his state gaining the rights to host the race on Wednesday, stating that he was ‘not going to start playing speculative games’.
‘We’re not interested in a bidding contest,’ the Premier said, speaking on his office’s desire to bring more high-profile sporting events to South Australia.
‘We always look at opportunities and we form a view about what something is worth but I’m not getting into a bidding contest.’
It comes after LIV Golf arrived in Adelaide last week, with thousands of spectators pouring through the gates at The Grange Golf Club to watch Anthony Kim’s incredible comeback.
Tourism South Australia say that since LIV Golf Adelaide’s inaugural tournament in 2023, the annual event has pumped more than $217m into the state’s economy, with the 2025 event generating a whopping $81m.
