Will MotoGP take to the streets of Adelaide in 2027, or not?

Debates about race circuits and dates are part and parcel of MotoGP’s day-to-day business. The discussion surrounding the relocation of the Australian Grand Prix from Phillip Island to Adelaide has been causing quite a stir for some time. On the one hand, there is dismay at the prospect of leaving such an iconic racing venue. If one were to reduce the event to its sporting value alone, scrapping the Island Grand Prix would send a message comparable to no longer holding Grand Slam tennis tournaments at Wimbledon.

But the decision has long since been made. A MotoGP event that, on race day, cannot accommodate 100,000 fans due to the overall situation no longer fits the image of modern MotoGP. ‘Over and out’ is the unambiguous message from the marketing strategists.

Commerce versus the environment

There is also discontent on the other side, in Adelaide. For in the city, which in autumn 2027 will host a Grand Prix for the first time since 1995 (after which the premier class of motor racing moved to Melbourne and thus to another state), the fuse is very short when it comes to commerce versus the environment.

The supposedly harmless expansion of a golf course on the outskirts of Adelaide has thus escalated. As the extent of the encroachment on nature became clear, opposition multiplied at record speed. The case has long been before the courts, and a settlement favourable to the investors is not expected for the time being.

What does this have to do with MotoGP? The Adelaide Parklands Streets Circuit is, as the name suggests, a street circuit that runs largely through a parkland area. The bold plan by the promoters in Adelaide to transform the street circuit into a MotoGP track met with huge interest from MotoGP itself.

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Die Rennstrecke von Adelaide verläuft durch eine Parklandschaft

Foto: Austadium

The prospect of a spectacle attracting several hundred thousand fans and onlookers was simply too tempting – because, as even the new majority owner Liberty Media understands, this is the only way MotoGP can follow in Formula 1’s footsteps to success. From a management perspective – bingo. From the perspective of Adelaide’s green community, however, it’s overkill. After all, to get the street circuit up to FIM homologation standards, the chainsaws will have to be fired up. Mature trees will have to make way if Marquez, Bezzecchi and co. are to take the corners at full throttle.

The contracts for MotoGP in Australia, with the debut due in around 15 months, have been signed. The ball is rolling – right down to the ticket website, which has already gone live – and the machinery behind this major project is in full swing. But the same applies to the resistance movement opposing the plans. From a politically significant petition with over 50,000 signatures, through an official letter to the relevant FIM federation in Switzerland, right up to a protest song, the messages conveyed so far have been peaceful.

If a legal dispute arises, the Adelaide GP will be at risk

For now, the project still appears to be under control at MotoGP level. Should the stances between activists and MotoGP harden rather than soften in the next phase, and should a legal dispute break out over the modifications to the street circuit, then the ‘MotoGP in Adelaide’ project for 2027 is likely to be in serious jeopardy.

There is no ready-made Plan B. A return to Phillip Island has been categorically ruled out. A switch to the relatively new ‘The Bend’ circuit, also in the south of the state, would be conceivable. The permanent circuit could serve as a compromise. However, as things stand, official contingency plans remain on the back burner for the time being. The debut of MotoGP at Adelaide’s Parklands Street Circuit, with its revolutionary concept, remains the clear objective.