Shocking plans revealed to convert iconic race venue into golf course

The controversial plans to remove Phillip Island from the MotoGP calendar and replace it with a yet-to-be-built street circuit, the first in MotoGP since the 1980s, did not go down well with the global audience. Largely considered the best circuit on the entire MotoGP calendar, Phillip Island has been a staple of the championship for decades and holds an even higher status than some popular European tracks.

Not only is the circuit set to be axed from the MotoGP and WSBK calendars, but now there is worry that the entire venue could be demolished and replaced with a golf course instead.

Named after the heroic English Captain who led the extraordinary 'First Fleet' to Australia, Phillip Island holds a mythical status among motorcycle race fans, not just owing to its spectacular location, but also due to the historic moments that were forged there in sweat and blood over the years. From Wayne Gardner's famous home victory in 1990 to Rossi's title-crowning win in 2004, Casey Stoner's six-year unbeaten streak and Marquez's incredible 2024 recovery mission, there is no doubting that Phillip Island has been the backdrop for some of MotoGP's biggest stories over the last few decades. Additionally, almost every rider on the current grid has expressed the view that the Island ranks among their very favourite tracks on the global calendar.

However, this hasn't been enough to save Phillip Island from being axed after the organisers failed to come to a renewal agreement with MotoGP's new majority shareholders, Liberty Media. The track has also been subsequently scrapped from the WSBK calendar by Liberty, leaving it with very little choice other than to close down for good.

An open letter from the track designer of the Adelaide F1 circuit, Bob Barnard, has revealed the shocking extent to which Phillip Island could be transformed over the coming years, potentially losing its status as a global motorsport destination in favour of a public golf course. The furious letter aims to highlight the damage, not just for the island itself, but for Adelaide Parklands as well. It is not the first time Barnard has made his position clear, earlier in the year he railed against the proposals with a brutal tirade, calling it 'sustainability bulls***' and that 'no one wants this'.

"Recent comments suggest that after losing both the GP and the WSBK the owner of the Phillip Island Circuit property, Lindsay Fox, may turn it into a golf course. Mr. Fox is already engaged in attempting to build a new circuit at Avalon in Victoria." says the letter, "It now concerns me that the decisions by Liberty Media, the owner of MotoGP Sport Entertainment, the commercial rights holders for MotoGP and WSBK, and the South Australian State Government will result in the loss of both iconic circuits, lost and gone forever.

"The current opposition in Adelaide is focused on the loss of the heritage of the Parklands, the public space, tree canopy and fauna. South Australia risks sacrificing mature Parkland trees while Victoria risks losing Phillip Island Circuit. Instead of creating a new asset, Australia may simply destroy two internationally recognised assets to create one uncertain replacement."

Veteran MotoGP insider Mat Oxley shared the letter via X: