Such is the attraction of the Supercars Adelaide event, that MotoGP officials secretly visited the venue of last year’s finale to scope out what will become the new Australian Grand Prix site.
Revealed earlier this year, MotoGP is set to join Supercars as a major motorsport series hosting an event in the City of Churches.
Kayo Sports is the home of MotoGP | Watch every practice, qualifying session and race LIVE and ad-break free from lights out to the chequered flag. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.
From 2027, Adelaide has been earmarked to host the Australian Grand Prix, replacing Phillip Island. The Adelaide MotoGP event has been touted as the first ever street circuit event in Grand Prix motorcycle racing.
Plans revealed last month revealed a new circuit layout at the Adelaide Parklands, where Formula 1 raced between 1985 and 1995, and Supercars has raced for points since 1999.
The Adelaide 500 opened Supercars seasons between 1999 and 2020, before becoming what is now known as the bp Adelaide Grand Final from 2022.
In a historic event, the first Grand Final of the Repco Supercars Finals Series, Adelaide attracted a crowd of 285,700 across its four days, including a record 102,200 on the Sunday.
MotoGP officials travelled to Australia to be trackside for last November’s Supercars event.
According to South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas, that visit was the catalyst for MotoGP’s big move.
MotoGP finds new home with epic new look | 06:55
“It was after the bp Grand Final and the team at MotoGP saw what the bp Grand Final would look like, that those discussions really ramped up,” Premier Malinauskas said on Fox Sports’ new weekly show MotorRacing 360.
“It was after the bp Grand Final and the team at MotoGP saw what the bp Grand Final would look like, that those discussions really ramped up.
“To have the senior leadership of MotoGP here secretly behind the scenes – that’s a bit of an exclusive for you – we had them on the track on the Tuesday after the bp Grand Final to see and feel it firsthand.
“And when that meeting happened, I thought this could be real. This is a real chance, and we started to get excited about it.
“So to be in this position now, we’re very grateful.”
Adelaide’s MotoGP and Supercars events are set to be spread across seperate November weekends, with the new MotoGP race to be held in the weeks leading up to Supercars’ Grand Final.
Malinauskas explained it was the ability to race on a street circuit which convinced MotoGP to make the switch.
“Let’s be frank about it – Phillip Island is iconic, and there’s a lot of good thing about the MotoGP event at Phillip Island, and it has seen people go year-in year-out, riders do like it, to watch on telly the scenery, it’s got its own vistas and can be spectacular.
“But it’s also true that if you want to grow the format of MotoGP, which the new owners of MotoGP in Liberty Media do, then bringing the event itself to a place that’s close to a population base where rather than being impossible to get in and off Phillip Island, you’ll be able to walk to the CBD of Adelaide with all its restaurants, bars and hotels and literally walk to and from the track in the space of five minutes.
“And that will mean far bigger crowds, a lot more of a fan-based experience, and when you turn on the TV that informs the atmosphere as well, coming down the TV. Because who wants to watch live sport when there isn’t a crowd? There will be a big crowd now and we can offer that path to grow in a way that I don’t think Phillip Island is capable, and that’s the key point of difference.”
How Phillip Island became too ‘hard’ | 01:09
During last year’s finale, the South Australian Government signed a contract with Supercars locking in its Grand Final through 2034.
The bp Adelaide Grand Final is promoted by the South Australian Motorsport Board, which is also set to take on local promotion of the MotoGP Australian Grand Prix.
The 2026 bp Adelaide Grand Final will be held on November 26–29.
Discussion about this post