>MotoGP Unveiled the New Adelaide Circuit

MotoGP · Circuit News

Adelaide, South Australia  |  Design unveiled August 30, 2026

MotoGP is heading back to the streets of Adelaide, and on August 30, 2026, the South Australian Government and MotoGP finally pulled the covers off exactly what that track will look like. Premier Peter Malinauskas unveiled detailed renders and a full lap simulation of the new Adelaide street circuit, a $96 million (roughly €51 million) rebuild of the parklands that once hosted the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix, confirming the venue that will host the Australian Grand Prix from 2027 through 2032.

It's a genuinely historic move for the championship. This will be the first MotoGP Grand Prix ever held on a city-centre street circuit, built to what organizers describe as the uncompromised safety standards required of the modern sport — a notable departure for a category that has traditionally raced exclusively on purpose-built permanent circuits.

A track built from Adelaide's motorsport history

The new 4.13-kilometre, 15-corner layout doesn't reinvent Adelaide's motorsport identity so much as resurrect it. The design reuses sections of the old Adelaide street circuit that hosted the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix from 1985 to 1995 — including the track's most famous corner, the Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill title-decider of 1994 among its most storied moments — reworking landmarks such as Stag Corner, Rundle Road, Brewery Bend and Dequetteville Terrace for two wheels rather than four.

The lap is reported to open with a hairpin before flowing into a fast, sweeping section through turns two and three. Simulations run for the project put MotoGP bikes at speeds of up to 343 km/h along Dequetteville Terrace, with a projected lap time in the region of 1 minute 26 seconds — figures that would put Adelaide among the faster circuits on the calendar despite its street-track billing.

"We have spent many months working closely with the FIM and our colleagues in Adelaide to design a MotoGP circuit that is both exciting and, most importantly, safe," said Carlos Ezpeleta, MotoGP's deputy CEO, adding that the project team is confident it will deliver a new experience for riders, teams and fans alike.

The parklands trade-off

Building a permanent street-circuit venue inside a public parklands precinct hasn't come without cost. According to the South Australian government's own figures, construction will require removing close to 400 trees from Adelaide's eastern parklands — 42 classified as significant, with a further 335 categorised as regulated, invasive, dead, or in poor health, plus 88 more relocated and 22 still under review. Officials have pledged a 10-to-1 replanting commitment, meaning roughly 3,770 new trees planted in exchange. The project has already drawn opposition from local residents concerned about habitat loss in the parklands.

Public consultation on the precinct opened on August 31 and is scheduled to run through September 20, with construction currently planned to begin in December 2026 and wrap up around April to November 2027, in time for the circuit's MotoGP debut.

Circuit at a glance

Detail	Figure
Length	4.13 km
Corners	15
Projected top speed	~343 km/h
Projected lap time	~1:26
Estimated cost	A$96m (€51m)
Construction start	December 2026
First MotoGP race	November 2027
MotoGP contract length	2027–2032 (6 years)

More than just a race weekend

Adelaide's ambitions for the site extend beyond MotoGP alone. The precinct is also set to host Supercars, with the 2027 Australian Grand Prix expected to run ahead of that season's Adelaide 500 finale, and the return of the Santos Tour Down Under cycling classic from 2028. Premier Malinauskas framed the project as part of a broader push to position Adelaide among the world's premier event destinations, pointing to South Australia's recent success luring the Supercars Grand Final and the economic activity major events generate for the state.

For MotoGP, the switch also closes a chapter: Australia's Grand Prix has been held at Phillip Island since 1997, and this new deal represents the sport's first major shift of venue in Australia in nearly three decades. Whether Adelaide's street layout can match Phillip Island's reputation as one of the most-loved circuits on the calendar remains to be seen — but with lap times and top speeds already projected to rival the championship's fastest permanent tracks, it's clear organizers aren't treating this as a novelty event.

Sources

• MotoGP.com — "MotoGP to roar into the city streets of Adelaide from 2027"
• Autosport — "Adelaide MotoGP circuit layout unveiled as £51m project takes shape"
• ABC News — "Designs for $96m Adelaide MotoGP street circuit released"
• Motorcycle News — "Adelaide MotoGP circuit unveiled"
• Supercars.com — "Adelaide street circuit revealed"
• MotoMatters — "Adelaide MotoGP Circuit Unveiled - As Fast As Austria"
• Speedcafe — "MotoGP unveils $96 million Adelaide park lands race track overhaul"
• MotorBiscuit — "First Details of Revamped Adelaide F1 Circuit for MotoGP Return Revealed"

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