Final MotoGP Race at Phillip Island Cancelled as Rain Ruins the Farewell

The final Australian Grand Prix at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit was called off on Sunday, October 25, 2026, after heavy rain and low visibility grounded the medical helicopter the race cannot run without. The cancellation ended the farewell weekend for one of the most loved circuits in motorcycle racing, a year before the Australian round moves to a street track in Adelaide.

Race day unraveled in stages. The Moto3 race was cancelled first, then the Moto2 race, and the MotoGP race was delayed by two hours while officials waited for a break in the weather. That break never came. MotoGP called the premier class race off at 3:40 p.m. local time. In its statement, MotoGP said: "Due to limited visibility affecting the operation of the medical helicopter the MotoGP Grand Prix race has been cancelled."

Why the helicopter decides the race

The medical helicopter is not a backup detail at Phillip Island. The dark clouds and heavy rain cut visibility around the coastal circuit so badly that the helicopter could not operate safely, Reuters reported. In an emergency it would take 45 minutes to reach the circuit from mainland Melbourne. Without the helicopter able to fly, racing could not start in any of the three classes, and no lap of racing was run on Sunday in Moto3, Moto2 or MotoGP.

A farewell lap instead of a race

The riders still went out, slowly. MotoGP said the riders would do a lap behind the safety car and stop on the main straight to greet the fans, with the pit lane opening for the farewell lap at 3:45 p.m. local time. The raincoat clad fans who stayed through the rain watched the field tour the wet track. Home rider Jack Miller did tricks for his supporters, including a stand up wheelie over the finish line, and threw his gloves and boots into the grandstand crowd.

The Australian Grand Prix Corporation said full refunds will go to Sunday ticketholders and partial refunds to multi day ticketholders, through its ticketing partners. Saturday had set a record crowd of 45,858 at the circuit, and organisers had expected more than 90,000 people on Sunday. In its statement the corporation said safety must always come first and that racing cannot take place without the medical helicopter able to operate.

Thirty years end in the rain

Apart from two years lost to the Covid 19 pandemic, the seaside track south of Melbourne had been on the world championship calendar for 30 years. Australian two time world champion Casey Stoner won there six years in a row from 2007 to 2012, and Mick Doohan sealed his fifth and final world title with a win at Phillip Island in 1998.

The cancellation also freezes the title picture for a week. Marc Marquez won the Saturday sprint at Phillip Island and left with 365 points, 10 points clear of Jorge Martin, who crashed in the sprint and was ruled out of Sunday with a fractured right radius. With no Sunday race, that 10 point lead is the lead Marquez carries into the next round.