MotoGP stars reject Adelaide Street Circuit safety concerns
Last week MotoGP confirmed it would be leaving Phillip Island after 2026, and some riders have already had their say on the move to the Adelaide Street Circuit.
As expected, the recent announcement that MotoGP would be replacing Phillip Island with a street circuit in Adelaide has split opinion, although safety concerns have been batted away by Pramac Yamaha rider Jack Miller and official Honda test rider Aleix Espargaro.
If you haven’t already heard, Phillip Island is being replaced by the Adelaide Street Circuit in 2027. This comes after the Victorian government rejected MotoGP’s proposal of moving to Albert Park, which already hosts the Australian Formula 1 race.
It’s a decision that two-time MotoGP champion and six-time premier class race winner at Phillip Island, Casey Stoner, was left bemused by. However, some of the championship’s current riders are already excited about the prospect of riding at the new Adelaide street circuit.
Pedro Acosta is one of those, as the KTM star is a known fan of the Isle of Man TT. That said, the Spaniard was surprised by the decision to replace Phillip Island with a street circuit given the fact that MotoGP has not always been fond of the idea.
Speaking to the media ahead of last weekend’s final pre-season test in Buriram, Thailand, Acosta said:
“A race on a street circuit sounds pretty good, knowing that I love the Isle of Man. But there are a lot of people who used to hate that championship, I’d say, so it’s quite strange.”
Rumours of a street circuit joining the MotoGP calendar had picked up in recent years, but potential safety risks were always seen as one of the main stumbling blocks to that becoming a reality.
But those fears seem to have been alleviated now, and when speaking at a press conference last week in Adelaide, Miller said he has full trust in MotoGP’s decision to move to the Adelaide street circuit. Miller added:
“There won't be any concrete barriers or air fences within touching distance. I have complete faith in Carlos [Ezpeleta] and his calculations. We sit down every Friday afternoon at the grand prix and have a meeting with them.
“We discuss the queries we have, whether it's about track safety, the exit area, the depth of the gravel, the consistency of the run-off areas, down to literally the size of the stones [in the gravel].They have an incredible range of knowledge about accidents and the time required to stop, and all the data from the G-force sensors, with the racing suits. They are able to track all of this, and it's all stored. In a normal accident, there are no safety concerns.”
Espargaro shared similar thoughts on social media, saying:
“[It is] not a street circuit like the one we all imagine in Monaco F1 style, but I fully trust that MotoGP has studied Adelaide and is confident they can provide run-off areas that are just as safe (or even safer) than, for example, the final corner at PI [Phillip Island].”
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After graduating with a sports journalism degree, Robert joined Crash.net to lead the WorldSBK coverage in 2021, while also providing MotoGP coverage. Fulfilling that role for over three years, Robert was able to put his knowledge about all things racing to the test.
