Phillip Island tourism is to change lanes after it loses its iconic Australian Moto Grand Prix later this year.
The Victorian government had blocked a bid by event owners MotoGP Sports (formerly Dorna) to move the race to the Formula 1 track at Albert Park.
This year’s 27-lap race on October 23-25 will be the last with the contract due to expire afterwards, motorsports media report, with other reports suggesting that Adelaide may be the front-runner to host it.
Tourism, Sport and Major Events Minister Steve Dimopoulos says that every effort was made to keep the race on the island.
This included the state paying the owners a licence fee, helping upgrade facilities and setting up a fund to boost attendance beyond 2026 but on the condition that the race remain on the island.
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“Victoria was not willing to sell out Phillip Island, we were not willing to impact Albert Park and we were not willing to compromise the Formula 1 Grand Prix,” he says.
“The private foreign owners of the MotoGP demanded we move the event to the city and we said ‘no’.
“We know we could have kept the MotoGP in Victoria if we sold out Phillip Island, but we never will.”
The government describes the decision to move the race away as disappointing after 29 years racing, and says it is working with other parties to secure a new major event for the region.
Bass Coast Mayor Rochelle Halstead told ABC News that the news is disappointing but is hopeful the state government will step in to help fill the economic hole left by the decision.
She says they are “very, very disappointed” but says a replacement event doesn’t have to be motorsport.
A 2023 economic impact report showed the annual event was worth more than $29 million to the state economy and supported 284 full-time jobs.
Click here to for find out more about Melbourne’s F1 race.
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