Although Melbourne managed to snatch the Formula 1 Grand Prix from Adelaide back in 1990s, South Australia got one back over its cross-border rivals with the announcement that the MotoGP would move from Phillip Island to the Adelaide Street Circuit in 2027.
Set to become the world’s first MotoGP event held on a city street circuit, due to be held ahead of the Supercars bp Adelaide Grand Final next November, part of the winning pitch was the South Australian Government’s planned $96 million redevelopment of the existing Victoria Park circuit.
For motorsport fans, the redesigned 4.13km, 15-corner circuit is set to serve up a slice of history, bringing back elements of the iconic Grand Prix track of the 1980s and ’90s including Stag Corner, Rundle Road, Brewery Bend, and Dequetteville Terrace.
It’ll be a fast circuit, too. Current modelling demonstrates that MotoGP bikes will be able to hit speeds over 340km/h along Dequetteville Terrace, while Supercars will top 275km/h on the straight in the bp Adelaide Grand Final.
“For more than 40 years, the Adelaide Street Circuit has generated some of the most famous images in motor sport,” says Peter Malinauskas, premier of South Australia.
“Mansell’s exploding tyre. Senna and Prost on the podium after Senna’s last F1 victory. Craig Lowndes winning from last on the grid. Jason Bright’s spectacular Turn 1 rollover.
“In its new era, we will deliver something truly world class – blending speed, safety, and spectacular racing for both MotoGP and Supercars that will bring tens of thousands of visitors to our city and state, and project our state to a global audience of more than 630 million people.”
Between the Supercars and MotoGP events alone, the annual economic return is due to exceed $200 million per year.
The redeveloped circuit is also due to host the Santos Tour Down Under Classic cycling race from early 2028, only furthering its economic impact. The Tour Down Under itself was conceived in the ’90s after F1 departed Adelaide.
But the redevelopment isn’t without significant controversy – primarily led by environmental concerns, but also leaving motorsports fans to lament the removal of the famous ‘Turn 8’.
Considered the “most daunting corner” in any Supercars race, the 210km/h right-hander was known for catching out some of the very best drivers in the sport’s history since it was introduced in 1999.
The reason for Turn 8’s removal is to comply with Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) safety requirements, meaning MotoGP’s arrival will have an affect on the nature of the existing Supercars race.
However, five-time Supercars champion Mark Skaife still backs the entertainment factor of the redesigned circuit.
“The Adelaide Street Circuit is simply legendary,” Skaife explains.
“I’m fortunate to say that I raced – and won – around both the original Grand Prix circuit and the current Supercars layout. It’s a hard, fast, combative place with no room for error that requires maximum commitment.
“The new circuit design takes things to another level. It will be super-quick with lots of overtaking opportunities and, in Supercars configuration, the kerbs will be punishing and the walls will be inches away.
“The new Senna Chicane will be unforgiving, Brewery Bend will be epic and the new start-finish section in Victoria Park adds more noise and colour to what is already the best event on the calendar.
“Everything we’re doing in what is in incredibly detailed design process is about delivering a great Supercars track for the next generation of racers. It will be huge.”
But well before the new circuit’s reveal this weekend, protests have been ongoing in Adelaide since the initial announcement of MotoGP’s move back in February 2026 regarding its environmental impact.
In Victoria Park, protest signs and ribbons already adorn trees scheduled to be removed. To make way for the new circuit, which requires expansion to be suitable for MotoGP racing, as many as 400 trees in the Adelaide Park Lands – which received a National Heritage Listing in 2008 – require felling.
“For the first time South Australians can see exactly what is proposed, and it is significantly worse than many expected,” says Mat Monti, president of the Adelaide Park Lands Association.
“This is no longer about a temporary sporting event. It is about permanently transforming one of Australia’s most important heritage landscapes for an event that will be held for only a few days each year under an initial six-year contract.”
“The release of these plans confirms what tens of thousands of South Australians have been saying for months; this race is in the wrong place.”
Also controversial is the redevelopment’s cost to taxpayers.
“Governments should not spend almost $100 million of taxpayers’ money during a cost-of-living crisis, to permanently alter National Heritage-listed Park Lands without first publishing an independent environmental impact assessment and a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis demonstrating the economic value,” Monti adds.
Opponents to the planned redevelopment of Victoria Park have suggested that The Bend Motorsport Park in Tailem Bend, around 100km south-east of Adelaide, should be used instead.
The second-longest fixed circuit in the world behind the Nürburgring Nordschleife, The Bend already hosts one round of the Supercars Championship.
However, the same day as the Adelaide Street Circuit announcement, a motorcycle rider was killed at the track during the South Australian Road Racing Championship.
As part of the new circuit’s reveal, the South Australian Government has commenced a consultation process, remaining open until September 20, 2026. Feedback received during this period will be used in finalising the design.
Those interested in providing feedback on the new layout can do so via the SA Department for Infrastructure and Transport website.
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