Want to attend a Motorcycle Grand Prix on your weekend off from university? If you are from Victoria, this year is your last chance to attend.

After 30 consecutive years, the Phillip Island Motorcycle Grand Prix will end its run on 25 of October 2026. Being replaced with a not-so-new street circuit in Adelaide, set to be the Australian Grand Prix's new home for the near future in 2027.

Phillip Island, although famous for its fairy penguins and beautiful beaches, is no stranger to motorbikes and racing. With an outdoor karting track alongside the grand prix track hosting both the Superbikes championship and the MotoGP, Phillip Island is a tourism hotspot for Motorsports fanatics alike.

The MotoGP event is considered the island's biggest, with last year's attendance at 91,000, contributing approximately $60 million to the Phillip Island area each year.

A local resident of three years, Sally, expressed how the MotoGP event has become “embedded in the culture” of the island in the 30 years the event has been going on. She continued that losing the event is “going to be a real loss; a loss of community [and a loss to the local businesses”, directly affecting jobs and establishments that have benefitted from this event over the past couple of decades.

With many Australian Champions, such as five-time world champion Mick Doohan and two-time world Champion Casey Stoner, the Phillip Island Grand Prix has long been the anticipated home race. The track's exit from the calendar marked the end of a longstanding chapter of Australian Motorsport history.

When the contract for Phillip Island was expiring, private foreign owners of the MotoGP—Dorna Sports—expressed an interest to relocate inter-city to the famous Albert Park Track Circuit. The Victorian Minister for Tourism, Steve Dimopoulos, had no desire to “[sell] out Phillip Island” as a means to keep the race in Victoria.

As a result, the new proposed track for the 2027 MotoGP is set to use the previous Formula One track in Adelaide, making it one of the first street-circuit MotoGP tracks on the calendar. A new tourism opportunity in South Australia is coming at the loss of a generational event held in Victoria across three decades.

The Phillip Island Motorcycle Grand Prix is an event curated with appreciation for Motorcyclists and enthusiasts alike, targeted in embracing the culture around bikes.

Beyond spectating, the MotoGP event enables attendees to buy gear, new motorbikes from manufacturers are displayed to purchase or view, stalls featuring customised fitted earplugs, as well as memorabilia and signed items from current and past drivers.

The atmosphere of the Phillip Island Grand Prix is a cultural event, where enthusiasts and casual fans can immerse themselves in motorcycle culture. Those going to the events are encouraged to ride down to the Island and track on their own motorbikes to the Grand Prix. Last year's event granted free parking at the track to motorcyclists, which is continuing in 2026. The use of Adelaide’s track has created concerns regarding the safety of the new street circuit being proposed. Especially as the nature of the MotoGP creates conditions that are highly prone to driver crashes and incidents.

Previous MotoGP champion Wayne Gardner told the ABC that driving in Adelaide’s track is “highly dangerous” according to his own experience.

The track itself has hosted automobile racing, including the Supercars Championship in 1999 to present day and Formula One (1985-1995) in the past.

Organisers have said that they will address safety concerns with track modifications. These include more gravel tracks and the removal of potentially dangerous concrete walls to create larger run-off areas.

The MotoGP is a deeply community-focused event full of Motorbike mania. With only one event at Phillip Island left, 2026 is the final opportunity for eager Victorian residents to experience a weekend of sea views, racing and the final reign of a legacy track in Victoria.

Image Source: Dimitris Bertakis