It has become clear that, as per media reports on Wednesday, Victoria has failed to secure a new deal with MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group beyond this year.
That means Phillip Island will host the premier two-wheel category for the final time this October.
After that MotoGP will head to South Australia with a plan of staging a race on the streets of Adelaide.
What remains unclear is the timeline on that, with an immediate move to a city-based event considered unlikely.
One touted option is that The Bend Motorsport Park will host MotoGP from 2027 while work on a street circuit option continues.
Adelaide is famous for its Victoria Park street circuit which hosted Formula 1 between 1985 and 1995 and is these days the home of the Supercars season finale.
That circuit, at least in its current form, is unlikely to be deemed suitable for motorcycle racing – making The Bend an obvious stop-gap solution.
According to the Adelaide Advertiser, The Bend owner Sam Shahin was on hand to meet MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group sporting director Carlos Expeleta at Adelaide Airport on Wednesday evening.
That move was rejected by the Victorian government, while an Adelaide street race plan has seemingly been embraced by the Peter Malinauskas SA government, well-known for its investment in sporting events like LIV Golf, the AFL’s Gather Round and the Supercars Adelaide Grand Final.
Victoria’s Minister for Sports and Events Steve Dimopoulos addressed media yesterday, confirming that the Albert Park plan was the sticking point between the government and MotoGP.
“In any negotiation, you have to draw a line; otherwise, you’re not worth anything,” he said.
“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’.”
The Victorian government famously poached the Australian F1 race from South Australia back in the mid-1990s, with Albert Park having hosted the Australian Grand Prix since 1996.
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