For decades there has been animosity between South Australia and Victoria after Melbourne poached the Formula 1 Grand Prix from Adelaide.
Now, South Australia has its revenge, swooping on MotoGP after the Victorian government refused to investigate moving the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix from its long-time home of Phillip Island to Albert Park.
It was an opportunistic move from a Peter Malinauskas-led SA government that is spend-happy when it comes to major sporting events.
The Adelaide MotoGP round will join the likes of the AFL Gather Round and LIV Golf, as well as the Supercars Adelaide Grand Final, on the SA events calendar.
It is a landmark deal in a number of ways, with MotoGP pushing for a street race to showcase the concept to other major cities around the world.
But, the concept has been met with mixed reactions.
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It will undoubtedly be a huge event, particularly in the first few years given the extreme novelty of having the premier two-wheel category race on a city circuit.
At the same time, there are question marks over the safety of racing bikes on a circuit lined with barriers and with limited run-off areas.
The MotoGP deal will also affect the Supercars Grand Final, starting with the major changes that will be made to the Victoria Park section of the existing circuit.
What is unclear at the moment is whether Supercars will use the full MotoGP layout, or revert to a hybrid of the existing layout – including the infamous Turn 8 – and the new parklands section.
There is also a potential implication on crowds given there will only be a couple of weeks between the events and cost-of-living pressure is real.
On the other side of the argument, Phillip Island hasn’t been without its issues.
The facilities are outdated and logistical issues, including limited (and expensive) accomodation options, have long been a headache for the event.
The fickle Bass Coast weather has also been a consistent frustration for the MotoGP series, as well as wildlife invasions.
Still, it is one of the favourite circuits among the riders with its long, sweeping, high-speed corners – and a conservative street circuit layout is unlikely to match that challenge.
In this week’s poll, we ask if you’re excited to see MotoGP head to Adelaide, or whether you wish it was staying at Phillip Island.
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