After almost three decades, there will no longer be a great procession of motorcycles and cars heading south every October, as the MotoGP will move from Phillip Island after this year, with the region losing a major economic driver.
Dorna Sports will move the Australian leg of the premier motorcycle series from Victoria in 2027, with the final race at Phillip Island to be held in October this year after 29 years at the circuit.
With the current contract expiring this year, Dorna wished to move the race from Phillip Island to Albert Park, a request the state government rejected on the grounds of retaining the motorcycle Grand Prix on the island.
In response, Dorna has opted to move the race out of Phillip Island to a street circuit in Adelaide.
Bass MP Jordan Crugnale said the state government was “devastated” by the decision and that she will invite the Minister for Major Events, Steve Dimopoulos, to meet with the council and relevant local organisations to discuss future opportunities for Phillip Island.
“We are devastated that the owners of the race wanted to move it from our stunning region and spectacular coastline to a street-based city race,” she said.
“We saw the largest attendance since 2012 just last year, with over 90,000 people. It brings so much to Bass Coast and the wider region and injects $60 million into the local economy, supports small businesses, jobs and tourism, and draws visitors from near and far.
“We wanted it on the Island. We put forward a very convincing proposal, offered additional funding to make it bigger and better, and disappointment is an understatement.”
Opposition leader Jess Wilson said the decision is a significant loss for the region.
“The loss of this event is emblematic of Victoria’s decline under Labor and a huge blow to the local businesses of Phillip Island,” she said.
Bass Coast Shire Mayor Rochelle Halstead told the ABC the move will leave a “very large economic hole” and said the council will seek new opportunities with the state government.
“We are very, very disappointed and are turning to the government to look to an event that will be of the same calibre,” she said.
“It does not need to be in motorsport. It can be in the arts or in music. That is what we will be looking at.”
