Arabic version: خطة أديلايد لاستضافة «موتو جي بي» تواجه ضغوطاً من احتجاجات المتنزهات

According to ABC News, South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas is pressing ahead with plans for Adelaide to host the Australian MotoGP from 2027 on a street circuit through the city’s eastern parklands, despite growing opposition and calls for greater detail.

More than 43,000 people have signed a petition seeking a halt to works, while hundreds, possibly thousands, joined an August 23 “stop the chop” rally through Adelaide’s CBD. Critics have raised concerns about tree removals, traffic disruption, permanent buildings, possible $100 million budgets and a legislative takeover of the parklands. Track designs are expected imminently.

Malinauskas has rejected shifting the event to Tailem Bend, arguing South Australia would not have secured MotoGP without a city circuit. He has said changes could be made for legitimate concerns that can be reasonably accommodated without undermining the government’s intended outcome, but said the project would not be cancelled at the first sign of resistance.

The dispute has drawn comparisons with Melbourne’s move of Formula One to Albert Park in the 1990s. That project also attracted protests and opposition calls to use an existing circuit. The Melbourne track was completed in 1996, and Formula One has since been staged there 29 times with bipartisan support.

Safety remains central to Adelaide’s proposed circuit. MotoGP journalist Simon Patterson said substantial work, including tree removals, could be needed to meet safety requirements, noting modern tracks can have 50 to 60 metres of run-off at fast corners. Former racer and journalist Mat Oxley said Adelaide could be made safe, though he questioned whether its confined parklands setting would produce an entertaining layout.