Planned MotoGP city circuit in Adelaide: Riders surprised by first videos

– In the 2027 MotoGP season, the venue for the Australian Grand Prix will change. Instead of Phillip Island in the state of Victoria, the race will now take place in Adelaide, the capital of the state of South Australia.

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Recently, the first computer animations of the new track were presented. It is not a street circuit like Monaco, but a normal race track in the East Parklands.

The plans were shown to the riders during the safety commission meeting. “Yes, I watched the video in the safety commission,” says local hero Jack Miller.

“As they have always said, it is a street race track right in the city. So it will be interesting to see how it develops. I am curious about it, even though I obviously won’t be participating myself.”

Miller was on site in Adelaide in February for the first presentation of the plans. Since he will no longer have a place in MotoGP next year, he will not race his home Grand Prix on this new track.

Since Senna Agius is very likely to be the second rider for Tech3-KTM, there will also be an Australian in the premier class in 2027. This will also be important for the promotion of the event.

Based on the first computer animations, the riders’ feedback is mostly positive. “Everyone said we can’t race on a street circuit,” says Alex Marquez, “but it looks like a normal track with runoff areas.”

“So, if the virtual model corresponds to reality, then this is really great work. It’s quite strange because in a city you are very limited in how you can design the corners.”

“But I think that’s exactly what will make it more interesting. Phillip Island will always remain Phillip Island. We have to ask Carmelo [Ezpeleta] to hold two races in Australia.”

Francesco Bagnaia finds it difficult to imagine the track based on a video, but he also comments on the layout: “At the moment it looks fun, but I don’t know how fast it is.”

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“I don’t know how tight the corners are, but the layout certainly doesn’t look bad. Not like Phillip Island, much more boring than Phillip Island, but it seems better than Balaton.”

Future races should be near cities

Liberty Media wants to pursue a similar strategy with MotoGP in the future as has already been successful with Formula 1. The races should take place closer to or in cities.

Because this allows the infrastructure of the metropolises to be used. This starts with airports and public transport and also includes hotels, gastronomy, or concert halls for promotional events.

“What I like most,” says Pol Espargaro about Adelaide, “is racing in places where there is a big city behind or nearby. That helps people find hotels and do something.”

“Because we have seen that in motorsport and sport in general, for people coming, it’s not just about the sport itself. People also want to do something else, like go shopping, go out to eat, go to concerts.”

“So 360-degree events that are possible when you are near a big city like Adelaide. So I’m looking forward to seeing that. Yes, it looks okay. I mean, as long as the safety is right.”

With Adelaide, the MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group is trying to organize a new event, a showcase for the future. A lot of work and many safety calculations have already gone into the planned track layout.

“Nice, I think they are doing a good job,” praises Luca Marini the presented plans. “They are really making an effort and putting a lot of work into designing everything precisely and correctly, regarding the track layout and the asphalt.”

“They are investing a lot in this project, and I feel the commitment of MotoGP to make sure everything works well. So from our side, perfect. We just want it to be another nice track that we like to ride on, with the safety conditions we always demand.”

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