Negotiations stall as Phillip Island in grave danger of losing MotoGP
It looks as though not one, but two potential venues could try to pinch the Australian Grand Prix away from Phillip Island.
Phillip Island has hosted the Australian MotoGP since 1989, but, with negotiations stalling on a contract renewal, 2026 is looking more and more like it could be the circuit’s final year hosting the series.
Dorna Sports, the promoter of MotoGP under the championship’s new owners, Liberty Media, has been locked in negotiations for months with the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, in the hope of finding a new deal.
The Australian Grand Prix Corporation acts as the official promoter for the MotoGP event at Phillip Island, and Formula 1 at Albert Park, in Melbourne.
The Victorian government has reportedly increased its offer to retain the MotoGP event at Phillip Island, however no deal has been found as of yet. According to Australian newspaper The Age, negotiations are believed to have been complicated by Dorna pushing to have the race at the Albert Park street circuit.
It’s not all that surprising that Albert Park has been mentioned as a potential option, as Liberty Media seems keen on the idea of racing MotoGP bikes on street circuits in the future. There’s several challenges that would come with that, though, particularly with safety as the distances between the track and barriers would likely need to be increased significantly compared to what’s acceptable for F1.
But there’s another circuit that has an interest in taking the Australian Grand Prix away from Phillip Island, with owners of The Bend Motorsport Park thought to be keen on hosting the championship in Tailem Bend, South Australia.
It would perhaps make more sense for The Bend Motorsport Park to take over the rights as the home of the Australian MotoGP in that case, but that’s all subject to Phillip Island not continuing in its current role.
It’s unclear when a decision will be taken, but with Phillip Island set to host the 2026 Australian GP in October, MotoGP officials will be keen to get something put in place before that.
One of the other stumbling blocks to a renewal is that Phillip Island needs to undergo infrastructure changes to meet the latest MotoGP requirements.
Photo credit - Gold and Goose.
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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.