Australian MotoGP: Phillip Island Dates, Schedule & Tips

The 2026 Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix is the final one at Phillip Island before the race moves to Adelaide. Schedule, the circuit, past winners and how to bet it.

The 2026 Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix is the last one at Phillip Island. The race runs from Friday 23 to Sunday 25 October 2026, with the MotoGP race at 2:00pm AEDT on Sunday, and from 2027 the Australian round moves to a new street circuit in Adelaide. After 30 years of grand prix racing on the cliff-tops above Bass Strait, this is the farewell. Below: the schedule, why the race is moving, the circuit, past winners and how to bet it.

Weekend schedule (AEDT)

Victoria is on daylight saving from 4 October, so all local times are AEDT.

Day	Session	Time (AEDT)
Friday 23 Oct	MotoGP free practice 1	10:45am
Friday 23 Oct	MotoGP practice	3:00pm
Saturday 24 Oct	MotoGP free practice 2	10:10am
Saturday 24 Oct	Qualifying 1 and 2	10:50am and 11:15am
Saturday 24 Oct	MotoGP sprint	3:00pm
Sunday 25 Oct	Moto3 race	11:00am
Sunday 25 Oct	Moto2 race	12:15pm
Sunday 25 Oct	MotoGP race	2:00pm

 

Why 2026 is the last one at Phillip Island

In February 2026 MotoGP and the South Australian Government announced a six-year deal, running from 2027 to 2032, to take the Australian Grand Prix to a new street circuit in Adelaide, with the first race a three-day weekend in November 2027. The layout is a roughly 4.2 kilometre city course costing in the order of 96 million dollars.

The move happened because the alternative fell over. A proposal to relocate the race to Albert Park in Melbourne was rejected by the Victorian Government, which cited community disruption, the run-off area work the circuit would have needed and the effect on the adjacent golf course. Adelaide, which hosted Formula 1 on city streets from 1985 to 1995, was the alternative.

Whatever you think of the destination, the loss is real. Riders consistently name Phillip Island alongside Mugello as the best circuit on the calendar, and no street track replicates a fast, flowing, cliff-top road course.

The circuit

Phillip Island is 4.448 kilometres with 12 turns and an average speed around 136 kilometres an hour, which makes it one of the fastest tracks in the championship. It runs along the coast with Bass Strait on one side, and the layout rewards commitment: Doohan Corner at turn one, the long Southern Loop, the bowl of Siberia, Lukey Heights, MG Corner and then out onto Gardner Straight. Two of those are named after Australian world champions, which tells you something about the place.

Marco Bezzecchi holds the outright lap record at 1:26.492, set in practice in October 2025. The race lap record of 1:28.108 has stood to Marc Marquez since 2013.

The wind is the variable that decides races here. The circuit is fully exposed and gusts regularly pass 60 kilometres an hour, to the point that MotoGP grants Phillip Island a unique regulatory exemption allowing teams to remove the bikes’ side-pods to reduce aerodynamic disruption. If you are betting the race, check the forecast before you check the form.

Recent winners at Phillip Island

Year	Winner	Note
2025	Raul Fernandez	His maiden MotoGP victory
2024	Marc Marquez
2023	Johann Zarco	His first premier-class win
2022	Alex Rins	Rated one of the great modern MotoGP races
2019	Marc Marquez	No race in 2020 or 2021
2018	Maverick Vinales
2017	Marc Marquez
2016	Cal Crutchlow
2015	Marc Marquez
2014	Valentino Rossi

 

Valentino Rossi has won here eight times across all classes, more than anyone. In the premier class he is tied on six with Casey Stoner, whose six came consecutively from 2007 to 2012, a run that remains the most dominant any rider has managed at a single circuit in the modern era. Three Australians have won their home grand prix: Wayne Gardner in 1989 and 1990, Mick Doohan in 1998, and Stoner six times.

The Australian angle in 2026

Jack Miller is the only Australian on the MotoGP grid, riding for Pramac Yamaha alongside Toprak Razgatlioglu, and 2026 is his final season in the class: he moves to a factory Yamaha ride in World Superbikes from 2027. So Phillip Island’s farewell is also Miller’s last home MotoGP race, which is the storyline of the weekend for Australian fans.

There is more Australian interest in the support classes. Senna Agius has been a genuine contender in Moto2, sitting third in the championship in the run to Misano, and Joel Kelso is racing in Moto3.

Australia’s premier-class world champions: Gardner in 1987, Doohan five straight from 1994 to 1998, and Stoner in 2007 and 2011.

Betting the Australian MotoGP

The championship arrived at Aragon in late August with Jorge Martin leading on 256 points from Marc Marquez on 237 and Marco Bezzecchi on 232, with Aprilia holding two of the top three. Four rounds run between then and Phillip Island, so treat those figures as the starting point rather than the state of play in October.

• Race winner. Short markets, because MotoGP is a front-runner’s championship. The value is usually in the podium and top-six markets rather than the outright.
• Sprint and race doubles. Saturday’s sprint is half distance and often produces a different winner, which makes the two markets genuinely separate bets rather than one bet twice.
• Head-to-head matchups. The most reliable market at a circuit this specific. Some riders have never got on with Phillip Island and the record shows it.
• Weather-driven markets. Wind and a coastal front make a safety-car or red-flag scenario more likely here than at most rounds.

How to watch in Australia

Fox Sports and Kayo Sports hold the Australian MotoGP rights and cover every practice, qualifying, sprint and race session live.

Where to bet

Compare MotoGP markets at our top-rated Australian bookmakers, and see our motor sport betting hub for the wider calendar.

Australian MotoGP FAQs

When is the 2026 Australian MotoGP?

Friday 23 to Sunday 25 October 2026 at Phillip Island. The MotoGP race starts at 2:00pm AEDT on Sunday 25 October, with the sprint at 3:00pm on Saturday.

Is this the last MotoGP at Phillip Island?

Yes. From 2027 the Australian Grand Prix moves to a new street circuit in Adelaide under a six-year deal running to 2032, with the first race scheduled for November 2027.

Why is the race leaving Phillip Island?

MotoGP and the South Australian Government agreed a deal to take it to Adelaide after the Victorian Government rejected a proposal to move the race to Albert Park.

Are there any Australians in MotoGP in 2026?

Jack Miller is the only Australian in the MotoGP class, riding for Pramac Yamaha, and 2026 is his last season before he moves to World Superbikes. Senna Agius races in Moto2 and Joel Kelso in Moto3.

Who has won the most Australian MotoGPs?

Valentino Rossi has eight wins at Phillip Island across all classes. In the premier class Rossi and Casey Stoner are tied on six, with Stoner’s six coming in consecutive years from 2007 to 2012.

How can I watch the Australian MotoGP?

Live on Fox Sports and Kayo Sports in Australia, with every session covered.

More motor sport content

• Motor sport betting hub
• Bathurst 1000: dates, schedule and how to watch
• Bathurst 1000 tips and preview