{"id":756659,"date":"2026-06-24T06:28:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T06:28:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/756659\/"},"modified":"2026-06-24T06:28:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T06:28:22","slug":"victoria-expected-to-lose-70-million-from-phillip-island-surrendering-motogp-worldsbk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/756659\/","title":{"rendered":"Victoria expected to lose $70 million from Phillip Island surrendering MotoGP, WorldSBK"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/01_Phillip_Island_WorldSSP_2026_Sunday_Garcia_Z9A_9317.jpg\" alt=\"MotoGP, WorldSBK exit estimated to cost state $70 million\"\/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe start of a World Supersport race at Phillip Island.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/t.cfjump.com\/92797\/b\/298625\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none; vertical-align: middle;\" src=\"https:\/\/t.cfjump.com\/92797\/a\/298625\" alt=\"\"\/><br \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The state will lose the major motorcycle championships to South Australia, with <a href=\"https:\/\/speedcafe.com\/motogp-news-2026-adelaide-announcement-phillip-island-replaced-peter-malinauskas-comments-2027-australian-motorcycle-grand-prix\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">MotoGP to race on the streets of Adelaide in 2027<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/speedcafe.com\/motorsport-news-2026-superbike-world-championship-wsbk-the-bend-2028-announcement-confirmation-peter-malinauskas-sam-shahin\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">WorldSBK headed to Tailem Bend in 2028.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Destination Phillip Island said it was \u201cdeeply disappointed\u201d to lose WorldSBK after last week\u2019s announcement that The Bend would take the reins.<\/p>\n<p>The tourism group said there would be a significant impact to accommodation providers, hospitality businesses, retailers, tourism operators and local jobs.<\/p>\n<p>Destination Phillip Island said there needed to be an \u201curgent economic transition strategy\u201d in the wake of the two-pronged exit.<\/p>\n<p>Kim Story, the tourism group\u2019s CEO, called on the Victorian Government to repurpose funding from MotoGP and WorldSBK into destination infrastructure, major event attraction, and tourism development.<\/p>\n<p>She cited the Summerland Peninsula, popular Penguin Parade, and The Nobbies as particular focal points.<\/p>\n<p>Get your name on Aaron Seton\u2019s 2026 Supercars wildcard at the Ipswich Super 440 and go in the draw to win his framed, signed race suit.<br \/>\n    <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/4xAOXkY\" style=\"color:#de482e;\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Click here now.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Destination Phillip Island chair Jeff Webb said it was not simply a case of replacing MotoGP or WorldSBK with another motorsport event.<\/p>\n<p>Supercars has expressed its interest in returning to Phillip Island, with a potential Finals Series slot.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe issue is no longer the loss of two events. The issue is what Victoria does next,\u201d said Webb.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPhillip Island already has world-class tourism assets generating hundreds of millions of dollars for the State.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe opportunity now is to invest in those assets and build a stronger, year-round visitor economy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bass Coast Mayor Cr Brett Tessari labelled the loss of MotoGP and WorldSBK from the island a \u201cdevastating blow\u201d to the community.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy heart goes out to our local businesses, tourism operators, volunteers and community members who have supported these events for decades and who rely on the visitors they bring to our region each year,\u201d said Tessari.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese events are part of Phillip Island\u2019s identity and a major driver of jobs, investment and economic activity.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBass Coast Shire Council has been advocating strongly to the Victorian Government since the loss of MotoGP was announced and that advocacy will only intensify.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have been clear that the economic impacts on Phillip Island and Bass Coast cannot be ignored and that a genuine plan is needed to support our region.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are calling on the Victorian Government to urgently work with Council, industry and local stakeholders to deliver meaningful investment and secure new opportunities that will replace the significant economic benefits these events have provided for decades.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVictorian ministers have indicated they are pursuing a new major event for Phillip Island, and we expect that commitment to translate into tangible outcomes for our community.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPhillip Island has earned an international reputation as a world-class destination. Our community should not be left to carry the burden of these losses alone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe will continue to advocate firmly and relentlessly to ensure Bass Coast receives the support, investment and long-term opportunities it deserves.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>MotoGP will make its final sojourn to Phillip Island on October 23-25.<\/p>\n<p>The final WorldSBK event at Phillip Island will take place on February 19-21.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The start of a World Supersport race at Phillip Island. The state will lose the major motorcycle championships&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":756660,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[572],"tags":[64,63,806,805,803,804,7499,85],"class_list":["post-756659","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-motosport","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-motor","tag-motor-sports","tag-motosport","tag-motosports","tag-slot4","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/756659","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=756659"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/756659\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/756660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=756659"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=756659"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=756659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}