MotoGP has released a virtual lap of the controversial new Adelaide street circuit that will replace Phillip Island as home of the Australian Grand Prix in 2027. And, we have to admit, it looks considerably better than we expected. But will it actually happen?
- MotoGP releases the first virtual lap of the new 4.13km, 15-corner Adelaide street circuit
- The new venue will replace Phillip Island as home of the Australian MotoGP from 2027
- Plans to remove 377 trees have sparked protests and a parliamentary inquiry in South Australia
When it was announced earlier this year that MotoGP would leave Phillip Island and move the Australian Grand Prix onto the streets of Adelaide, the reaction from motorcycle racing fans was fairly predictable.
Why would you abandon one of the greatest motorcycle racing circuits in the world for a street track?
Well, MotoGP has now given us our first proper look at what it has planned – and perhaps we shouldn’t write Adelaide off just yet.
The championship has released a virtual lap of the new circuit following the official unveiling of the final proposed layout by South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas.
And it actually looks rather good.
WHAT WILL THE ADELAIDE MOTOGP CIRCUIT LOOK LIKE?
The new circuit measures 4.13km and features 15 corners, incorporating parts of the famous old Adelaide Formula 1 circuit along with sections through Victoria Park.
It brings back familiar names including Stag Corner, Rundle Road, Brewery Bend and Dequetteville Terrace, but the layout has been heavily adapted to make it suitable for motorcycles.
MotoGP says it has spent months working with the FIM and authorities in Adelaide to create a circuit that is both exciting and capable of meeting modern motorcycle racing safety requirements.
Watching the virtual lap, there’s certainly plenty going on.
There are fast, flowing sections, some serious braking areas and enough changes of direction that it doesn’t appear to suffer from the stop-start, 90-degree-corner character that can make some street circuits rather tedious.
And there’s something undeniably spectacular about MotoGP bikes racing at full noise through the middle of a city.
But there’s still an elephant in the room.
BETTER THAN PHILLIP ISLAND?
No matter how impressive Adelaide looks, it’s replacing Phillip Island.
That’s quite a benchmark.
Phillip Island isn’t simply Australia’s current MotoGP venue. It’s widely regarded as one of the finest motorcycle racing circuits anywhere in the world.
Fast, flowing and spectacular, its combination of high-speed corners, elevation changes and exposed coastal location has produced some extraordinary MotoGP races over the years.
Adelaide offers something completely different.
The attraction is obvious from a promotional perspective. Instead of asking spectators to travel out to Phillip Island, MotoGP will effectively bring the racing into the centre of Adelaide and surround it with a major city-wide event.
For spectators and television audiences, it could be spectacular.
Whether it can produce racing to rival Phillip Island is another question entirely.
We’ll only really know once 22 MotoGP bikes arrive there.
Assuming, of course, that they do.
NOT EVERYONE IN ADELAIDE WANTS MOTOGP
While MotoGP’s glossy virtual lap presents an enticing vision of November 2027, opposition to the project in Adelaide has been growing.
Much of the controversy surrounds the city’s park lands and the number of trees that will need to be removed to construct the circuit and associated infrastructure.
With the final design now released, the South Australian Government says 377 trees would be removed.
Of those, 42 are classified as significant trees, while the remainder are described by the government as regulated, unregulated, invasive, dead or in poor health. Another 88 trees are planned to be relocated and a further 22 remain under investigation.
The government has promised a 10-to-one replacement programme, which would see 3,770 trees planted.
But that hasn’t stopped the opposition.
Hundreds of protesters have demonstrated against further development and tree removal in Adelaide’s park lands, while the ‘Stop the Chop’ campaign gathered enough signatures to trigger a parliamentary inquiry into the issue.
Protesters have also established camps in areas potentially affected by the circuit, with one such campsite moved on by the City of Adelaide only days before the circuit design was revealed.
So while MotoGP and the South Australian Government are presenting the 2027 Australian GP as very much a done deal, there’s still considerable local opposition to overcome.
A$96 MILLION GAMBLE
The South Australian Government says the new circuit will cost A$96 million, with construction currently scheduled to begin in December 2026.
The plan is for Adelaide to host its first Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix in November 2027, immediately ahead of the city’s Supercars Grand Final.
MotoGP’s initial agreement will see the Australian GP remain in Adelaide through 2032.
It will also make history as the first modern MotoGP race to take place on a city-centre street circuit.
There’s no doubt it’s an ambitious project.
And after watching the virtual lap, we’re considerably more interested in seeing MotoGP bikes attack the Adelaide circuit than we were when the move was first announced.
But better than Phillip Island?
That’s going to take some doing.
And before we get the answer to that question, South Australia’s government might have an altogether different battle to win at home.
