Phillip Island has lost the one thing it once seemed almost impossible for Australian WorldSBK to lose: its guarantee.
The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship has confirmed that the Australian Round will move to Shell V-Power Motorsport Park at The Bend from 2028 on a multi-year agreement, ending Phillip Island’s long run as the championship’s natural home in Australia.
It is not just another calendar change. Australia has been part of WorldSBK since 1990, and Phillip Island has been central to the championship’s identity: fast, exposed, spectacular and capable of producing the kind of early-season racing that set the tone for whole campaigns. ReadMotorsport’s archive alone tells that story, from Marco Melandri’s 2018 season-opening win at Phillip Island to the wider pattern of Australian rounds shaping rider form before the European stretch even began.
The Bend has won more than a race
The Bend will join the WorldSBK calendar from the championship’s 41st season. WorldSBK pointed to the South Australian venue’s multiple circuit configurations and modern infrastructure, while The Bend managing director Dr Sam Shahin framed the announcement as a landmark for both the circuit and the state.
That matters because this decision sits in a broader Australian motorsport shift. South Australia has pushed hard for major events, and The Bend’s WorldSBK deal follows the separate move that will take MotoGP away from Phillip Island and into Adelaide from 2027. One major motorcycle world championship leaving Victoria might have looked like a painful one-off. Two makes it a pattern.
The Bend cannot copy Phillip Island’s character, and it should not try. Phillip Island’s appeal comes from its coastal setting, speed and rhythm, the kind of circuit that asks riders to carry commitment through corners where hesitation is expensive. The Bend’s pitch is different: a newer complex, more infrastructure flexibility and a state government ecosystem determined to package motorsport as a major-event asset.
That is the uncomfortable modern calculation. A great racing circuit is no longer always enough on its own.
Phillip Island’s legacy is secure, but its leverage has changed
Phillip Island’s WorldSBK history is not erased by a future venue change. The circuit remains one of motorcycling’s great layouts, and its place in the production-based championship’s story is already set. It has staged title-shaping weekends, debut statements, wild-card intrigue and some of the purest pack racing on the calendar.
ReadMotorsport’s WorldSBK coverage has often returned to that Australian reference point, whether through Melandri’s Phillip Island double or the championship’s wider competitive picture, including this season’s WorldSBK 2026 title chase around Nicolo Bulega.
But legacy and leverage are different things. The Bend announcement shows how aggressively rights holders and promoters are now weighing facilities, commercial backing, fan activation, accommodation, paddock needs and regional government support. Phillip Island may still be beloved by riders and fans, but affection does not automatically secure contracts.
There is also a sporting question. The Australian round has often carried extra significance because Phillip Island is so specific. Its flowing layout has rewarded bravery, tyre feel and high-speed precision in a way few circuits can replicate. Moving to The Bend changes the competitive profile of the round, and that will matter when teams arrive with 2028 machinery, tyre data and championship assumptions built around a new venue.
A symbolic win for South Australia
For South Australia, the deal is another statement of intent. The state can now point to Adelaide’s incoming MotoGP event, The Bend’s WorldSBK future and an expanding motorsport portfolio built around both street-circuit spectacle and permanent-circuit infrastructure.
Australian Superbike Championship material already positions The Bend as a major domestic venue, and WorldSBK’s arrival gives it a different level of global weight. The question is no longer whether The Bend can attract international attention; it is how quickly it can build an event identity strong enough to replace one of motorcycle racing’s most familiar Australian backdrops.
Phillip Island will remain Phillip Island. That is the point. Its history is safe, its layout is still revered, and its greatest WorldSBK weekends will not fade because the championship has chosen a new address.
But from 2028, Australian WorldSBK belongs to The Bend. For Phillip Island, that makes this more than the loss of a race date. It is the end of an assumption.
