Premier announces high-energy global MotoGP partner
Premier Peter Malinauskas has announced a major international sponsor and given an update on a court case trying to put the brakes on next year’s MotoGP.
Premier Peter Malinauskas has revealed on Monday morning that international energy drink company Red Bull will sponsor Adelaide’s first ever MotoGP event from November 12 to 14, 2027, in a “multimillion-dollar deal”.
The reveal comes amid an ongoing court case with Queensland video game developer Joshua Hogan seeking an urgent stop to work associated with next year’s MotoGP street circuit due to concerns over rider safety and lack of First Nations consultation.
Hogan, who appeared in Queensland Federal Court for the first time last week, is seeking an urgent injunction that would restrain the state government, MotoGP owner Liberty Media and the global governing MotoGP body Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) from starting physical site works, land clearing, road resurfacing and the removal of trees within the Adelaide Park Lands.
The Premier said the state government was “confident” the court case would not hinder the $96 million street circuit redevelopment expected to start in the coming weeks to be ready by November 2027.
“As I stated on the golf course activist litigation, I have never been one to preempt the outcome of courts. They are independent, and they will make their deliberations accordingly,” Malinauskas said.
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“It is a tight timeframe. We’re very confident in our position just as we have been in the golf course, we genuinely believe this is the right thing to do about making sure Adelaide’s standing, not just in the country, but in the world, gets the recognition that it deserves.
“The single biggest challenge to the future of the South Australian economy is having young people choosing to live here and work here.
“Making sure the place has a bit of life in it and some excitement is actually really important and we’re confident in this being another example of how Adelaide’s capable of doing big things.”
SA public servant Edwin Kemp Attrill and Kaurna traditional owner Janette Milera lost their case against the state government in the Federal Court to stop works on the North Adelaide Golf Course development earlier this month. Both cases reference the same national environmental and heritage laws, known as the EPBC Act.
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Malinauskas said the state government was actively “trying to avoid activist litigation”.
“There are a group of activists that are clearly seeking to litigate and oppose absolutely everything, trying to make every last element of this controversial,” he said.
“That is their prerogative, the government’s prerogative is to do something very special for the state… a major event of this calibre only aids that cause.”
The Red Bull Grand Prix of Australia will be the first MotoGP race on a city street circuit, with the international energy drink brand signing a two-year agreement.
Under the new multimillion-dollar agreement, the MotoGP event will feature new fan experiences across the Adelaide CBD and entertainment in the week leading up to the event.
SA Motor Sports Board CEO Mark Warren said the “opportunities were enormous” for fan events that will be announced across the next 12 months.
“It’s going to have a real, truly unique international feel, and the city will have that international feel like we had back in the day with the Formula One,” Warren said.
“If you look at what we’ve already been able to do with Red Bull, it’s been pretty spectacular. Back in 2025 for the bp Adelaide Grand Final, we worked with Red Bull to bring Formula One cars and have them on track as a demonstration.”
Warren said the Motor Sports Board and state government were currently considering live music entertainment, similar to the bp Adelaide Grand Final which will host Guns N’ Roses and Hilltop Hoods next month.
The MotoGP is anticipated to attract close to 200,000 visitors, according to Warren, and create a combined economic return of $200 million per year alongside the Adelaide Grand Final.
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