The Adelaide Urban Circuit, within the Australian city’s Victoria Park, will be the setting for the Australian Grand Prix from 2027 onwards and, at least, until 2032. A decision that could be intuited when a few months ago Carmelo Ezpeleta himself, then CEO of Dorna and now MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group, said that work was being done on the possibility of motorcycles returning to urban circuits.
Now it is official that the first of these urban tracks that will enter the MotoGP calendar will be Adelaide, to the detriment of Phillip Island, and marks the return of major competitions to the cities. From the organization of the championship, this return is seen as a milestone. But beyond the ruling parties, there are many doubts that are raised and that, at least for the moment, have not been resolved.
The MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group ensures that the commitment of Adelaide as a city, and of the Adelaide Street Circuit to the event and safety, is maximum. But it is then that it is worth remembering that the 2025 Hungarian GP already left serious doubts about its homologation, and about the procedure that the FIM followed to grant the maximum credential in terms of safety.
These doubts also increase when it is confirmed that the route that the motorcycles will use will follow the lines of the old Adelaide Urban Circuit. A track surrounded by walls in its entirety, with asphalt loopholes at the time, and with critical points where security can be expanded without changing the morphology of the city and moving either the layout or the buildings, will require a great effort whenever possible.
F1 left the Adelaide Circuit after Häkkinen’s 1995 accident
It must be remembered that the Australian GP left Adelaide in 1995, after a very serious accident involving Mika Häkkinen in which he almost lost his life and it was precisely due to hitting one of the barriers. Furthermore, the morphology of the track itself, beyond the fact that in different areas you can take advantage of the park to do things taking safety into account only, includes different linked curves in which a straight or a drop will involve the driver returning to the middle of the track without being able to do anything.
In fact, as can be seen in recent videos, a quick view reveals many of these problems.
Thus, beyond the triumphalism conveyed by the propaganda words of the agreement, the doubts on the table are many, and the work that will have to be done to adapt to specific needs a circuit that three decades ago was outdated in terms of security, a lot.
We will see then if on this occasion economic considerations do not prevail, as when MotoGP returned to Laguna Seca. We will also have to see what the pilots say, if they have the capacity to show a sincere and free opinion on the matter. In any case, there seems to be no doubt that Adelaide will be in MotoGP in 2027.
Carlos Ezpeleta, MotoGP Chief Sporting Officer: «Bringing MotoGP to Adelaide represents an important milestone in the evolution of our championship. This city has a world-class reputation for hosting major sporting events, and the opportunity to design a circuit specifically on the city’s streets is something truly unique in our sport.
From the beginning, together with the FIM, we ensured that safety remained intact: every element of the Adelaide Street Circuit has been designed to meet the highest standards of modern MotoGP, ensuring that riders can compete at their best with complete confidence.
Adelaide’s commitment to major events makes it the perfect home for the next chapter of MotoGP in Australia. We are incredibly excited to showcase a new style of racing here and create a true celebration of our sport that brings fans even closer to the action. “This partnership represents a bold ambition from both MotoGP and Australia, and we couldn’t be prouder to begin this journey together.”
Peter Malinauskas, Prime Minister of South Australia: “This is a great achievement for South Australia and evidence of real momentum for our state. Now we compete with the rest of the country for the best events in the world… and we are winning. Hosting the first MotoGP race on a street circuit will offer Adelaide a truly unique proposition that is sure to attract visitors from out of state and overseas.
This goes far beyond a world-class motorsport event – it is about generating economic activity for our state, supporting jobs and putting South Australia on the global stage.
We support great events that generate a strong economic return, and MotoGP does exactly that. “MotoGP is growing globally at a record pace, and Adelaide will now be a key part of that growth story.”
