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Adelaide MotoGP circuit gets ‘boring’ tag despite heritage appeal
🇦🇺 Australia /Culture & Society

Adelaide MotoGP circuit gets ‘boring’ tag despite heritage appeal

From ABC Australia · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • South Australia unveiled a 4.13-kilometre Adelaide circuit that will host MotoGP and the Supercars Grand Final from November 2027.
  • The layout revives elements of Adelaide’s former Formula One street circuit but removes or changes sections popular with Supercars fans.
  • Riders have broadly supported the circuit’s safety, while some fans and commentators fear it will produce less exciting racing than Phillip Island.

Adelaide’s new $96 million MotoGP circuit is already facing an awkward question: can a track built around racing heritage deliver racing that fans want to watch?

but not as we know and love it

— Stefan BartholomaeusThe Speedcafe editor assessed how the redesigned circuit differs from Adelaide’s former street track.

The 4.13-kilometre layout, unveiled by the South Australian government, brings back several features from Adelaide’s old Formula One street circuit. These include the straight along Rundle Road, a corner beside the heritage-listed Stag Hotel and the right-hand “Brewery Bend” onto Dequetteville Terrace. That turn leads into a 900-metre straight that also formed part of the former circuit.

The redesign has also removed features closely associated with the Supercars version of the track. The high-speed turn eight from Bartels Road onto Dequetteville Terrace is gone, as is the “staircase” of 90-degree turns between Wakefield Road and Hutt Street. The Senna Chicane will be realigned.

mixed to say the least

— Stefan BartholomaeusHe described the reaction among motorsport fans to the new layout.

Stefan Bartholomaeus, managing editor of Speedcafe, described the result as an Adelaide Street Circuit “but not as we know and love it”. He called the fan reaction “mixed to say the least” and said moving the Senna Chicane felt particularly sacrilegious because of its Formula One heritage and role in the Supercars event. He also pointed to the return of the East End and the prospect of racing near the market facade and Stag Hotel as a nostalgic benefit.

glorious circuit that gives us fantastic racing every year

— Simon PattersonThe freelance MotoGP journalist praised Phillip Island before its replacement by Adelaide.

The Adelaide event will replace Victoria’s Phillip Island on the MotoGP calendar in 2027. Freelance MotoGP journalist Simon Patterson said Phillip Island is a “glorious circuit that gives us fantastic racing every year” and predicted a “much more moderated performance in Adelaide”. The South Australian Motorsport Board expects the first Adelaide event to attract at least twice Phillip Island’s 91,000 spectators. The state government has also offered to fund infrastructure upgrades in Adelaide’s eastern parklands, easing some of the city council’s concerns.

much more moderated performance in Adelaide

— Simon PattersonHe predicted that Adelaide would offer less intense racing than Phillip Island.
About this summary

Originally published by ABC Australia in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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