Goodbye to a MotoGP classic
MotoGP is about to race at Phillip Island for the very last time - and that's a painful feeling for Simon Patterson, even if the big Adelaide plan ultimately succeeds.
Here, he reflects on what's made that trip - and that race - such a special experience over the years.
It felt slightly surreal driving across the bridge onto Phillip Island on Tuesday, knowing that - let's be honest - it'll most likely be the last time I ever make the journey, and almost certainly the last time for a grand prix motorcycle race.
My first ever event as a full-time MotoGP journalist, rather than as a superbike reporter seconded onto grand prix duties, was at Phillip Island, back in 2016 for a pre-season test. I got promoted on a Thursday, flew to Australia on the Sunday, and all in all spent more time in transit than I did there - but it was enough to immediately understand that this place is something very special indeed.
It's not just the absolutely glorious 2.764-mile strip of asphalt perched on the side of a cliff overlooking the Bass Straight, even though what was first laid out here in 1952 just so happens to be one of the most enthralling race circuits ever designed.
It's not the history, either, even though it has delivered some of MotoGP's most incredible performances: Wayne Gardner winning the first race on the current layout, Casey Stoner's domination during his career, possibly Valentino Rossi's single-most impressive career win, or that race in 2015, just to name a handful.
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There's just something special about arriving into San Remo, crossing over the bridge (with a Moto2 racer I found hanging around at Melbourne airport in the passenger seat!), and arriving on a little island that's wholly devoted to motorcycle racing for a few weeks a year, something that I've only ever experienced here and on the Isle of Man. (And if you know anything about me, then you'll know that that's high praise indeed.)
The community here embraces MotoGP, but in return the paddock falls in love with Phillip Island every year too. One of the issues that has caused Liberty Media to move the race away from here for 2027 is a lack of accommodation but, while hotel rooms are nice, it's nicer that there's one race a year where teams and riders share houses instead of motorhomes and hotels.
It's certainly the only race on the calendar where, like I did just a few moments before sitting down to write this, you can bump into Maverick Vinales in the banana section of the local Woolworths supermarket!
The dirty secret that I've not admitted out loud until now is that while I'm deeply opposed to the move to Adelaide for next year, part of me is quite confident that it's going to be a success. It's clear from the Supercars Grand Final run every year that the organiser (the South Australia Motor Sport Board) knows how to put on big motorsport events, and in theory it should tick all the boxes to grow the Australian GP should it meet the challenges it still has ahead of it.
But that doesn't change the feeling that, in moving to a different state and a different circuit for next year, MotoGP is losing a little bit of what makes the championship so damn special.
