Jack Miller admits he felt conflicting emotions after confirmation that the legendary Phillip Island racetrack is to be replaced by a new Adelaide ‘street circuit’ as home of the Australian MotoGP from 2027.
Miller, currently MotoGP’s only Australian rider, called the loss of Phillip Island “devastating” but is also “excited” by the prospect of the new city centre venue in Adelaide.
“Obviously devastated to see Phillip Island go off the calendar,” Miller said.
“I’ve been racing motorbikes for 15 years – it’s probably the best track I’ve ever ridden.
“But on the other hand, excited Australia has been bold enough to step up to the plate and be the world’s first on this street circuit.
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“The undertaking to put a MotoGP track in the heart of a city, go out on a limb and invest all that money – Adelaide seems over the moon to have it.”
“Tough” to leave “magical” Phillip Island, but…
The Pramac Yamaha rider was present for the official announcement in Adelaide.
“Walking around the city and hearing the locals’ thoughts, everybody’s beyond stoked to have it in the city. So it’s cool for Australia,” he said.
“Always tough leaving somewhere so magical like Phillip Island.
“But going to Adelaide in November, I believe the weather’s going to be amazing. The vibes will be amazing in the city
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“It’s a six-minute walk from pit lane to the main street of Adelaide. So it’s going to be fun for all the punters and an amazing spectacle.”
However, Miller made clear the Adelaide track layout isn’t going to compare to the riding thrills of Phillip Island.
“It is what it is. It’s a street circuit. Street circuits are never the most amazing circuits. No one ever goes to a street circuit and says, ‘Woah, it’s amazing’,” he said.
“Look at the guys in Formula 1. Monaco – they hate it, but they love it. It’s one of those. Street circuits are never going to be amazing with big hills and undulations like you get in COTA or Phillip Island.
“It’s a scale. You weigh up your options. We have so many magnificent tracks, so it’s cool to have something like [Adelaide].”
The four-time MotoGP race winner compared the proposed Adelaide layout to the stop-go Balaton Park venue in Hungary, which made its debut on the calendar last season.
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“The [Adelaide] track kind of gave me Balaton vibes, a little bit. Except it’s not in the middle of nowhere. It’s in a part of the city. So that’s pretty cool,” he said.
Existing MotoGP tracks “have walls closer”
Despite being labelled a street circuit, the Adelaide track is located in a mainly parkland setting, which Miller says will meet all the necessary run-off requirements of a modern MotoGP track.
“Going over the design with Carlos [Ezpeleta], we’ve got a lot more tracks on the calendar that have walls closer than they have there, in terms of speed and run off area,” Miller revealed.
“I know how the Aussies go when building stuff like that. they’re generally full on with the safety aspect and qualify of build. So no worries.”
The final Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island will take place from October 23-25, bringing an end to one of the most iconic venues on the MotoGP calendar.
Adelaide is then scheduled to host its inaugural MotoGP in November of 2027.
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