31 March 1928; 97 years ago (1928-03-31) (Road circuit)[1] 15 December 1952; 72 years ago (1952-12-15) (modern circuit)[2] Re-opened: 4 December 1988; 36 years ago (1988-12-04)
ThePhillip Island Grand Prix Circuit is a motor racing circuit located nearVentnor, onPhillip Island,Victoria,Australia. The current circuit was first used in 1952.
Along withThe Bend Motorsport Park inSouth Australia, the 4.448 km (2.764 mi) long island circuit is one of two race tracks in Australia to carry aFIM Category A track licence which allows for the highest level of motorcycle racing,MotoGP. Phillip Island also carries anFIA Grade 3 track licence.[3]
Motor racing on Phillip Island began in 1928 with the running of the100 Miles Road Race, an event which has since become known as the firstAustralian Grand Prix. It utilised a high speed rectangle of local closed-off public roads with four similar right hand corners. The course length varied, with the car course approximately 6 mi (9.7 km) per lap, compared to the motorcycle circuit which was approximately 10 mi (16 km) in length. The circuit was the venue for the Australian Grand Prix through to1935 and it was used for the last time on 6 May 1935 for the Jubilee Day Races.[4]
A new 3.312 mi (5.330 km) triangular circuit utilising the pit straight from the original rectangular course was subsequently mapped out and first used for theAustralian Race Drivers' Cup on 5 November 1935.[5] The final car event on the circuit was held onCup Day (1 November) 1938[6] and the final motorcycle race meeting was conducted on 30 January 1940.[7]
Significant events staged at the Phillip Island road circuit included:
In 1951, a group of six local businessmen decided to build a new track. About 2 km (1.2 mi) away from the original circuit, it still bears the corner name signs of the original circuit. As the piece of available land was on the edge of the coast, the track is known for its steep grades – the highest 57 metres – which caused cost overruns and delays in track opening. The new track was opened in 1952[8] and in 1960 the firstArmstrong 500production car race was held at the circuit. Extensive damage resulted from the running of the1962 Armstrong 500, and, with the circuit owners unable to finance repairs, the circuit was closed and the race was moved to theMount Panorama Circuit atBathurst inNew South Wales, to eventually become known as theBathurst 1000.
The circuit reopened in October 1967[8] and hosted thePhillip Island 500 endurance race, a round of theAustralian Manufacturers' Championship, from 1971 to 1977. The race was also a round of theAustralian Touring Car Championship in 1976 and 1977. But again, due to its testing terrain, the circuit required significant maintenance and slowly declined through the 1970s. It was farmed by its owners while closed and was then sold in 1985 in preparation for reopening, but did not do so until 1988 after agreement on a long-term lease and rebuild agreement. During the time the circuit deteriorated and finally closed, part of the main problem for its owners was that thePhillip Island Bridge from the island to the Australian mainland reportedly could not carry the heavy vehicles needed to resurface the circuit. This meant that the bitumen surface was a cold mix which easily broke up under the rigours of racing, instead of the standard hot mix which would have allowed a more durable surface. It would not be until the mid-1980s that the bridge would be rebuilt allowing the necessary equipment needed for resurfacing.
The circuit was refurbished with a reduced length of 4.448 km (2.764 mi) and was reopened on 4 December 1988 for the final round of the 1988 Swann Insurance International Series for motorcycles.[9]
In 1989, theAustralian Motorcycle Grand Prix joined theFIMRoad Racing World Championship calendar for the first time, and was held at Phillip Island. The1989 race saw a race long dice in the 500 cc division between local favouritesWayne Gardner andKevin Magee, along withWayne Rainey andChristian Sarron. The race was won by1987 World Champion Gardner to the delight of the huge crowd. Gardner would make it two in a row at the Island in1990 before the race moved toEastern Creek inSydney for1991. The Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix would remain at Eastern Creek until it returned permanently to Phillip Island from1997 onwards.
Phillip Island hosted its firstSuperbike World Championship round in1990, taking over from Sydney'sOran Park Raceway as the Australian round of the series. Local ridersPeter Goddard (Yamaha FZR750) andRob Phillis (Kawasaki ZXR750) won the two races for what was Round 12 of the season, with Goddard having secured pole position. The World Superbike round continues to be held annually at Phillip Island to this day.
In1990, the Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC) returned to the circuit for the first time since1977, this time as asprint round.Dick Johnson won the round in hisFord Sierra RS500, in what was to be his final ever round victory. The event was not held in 1991 or 1992, but was reinstated to the calendar in1993, with the sprint format then continuing every year until 2004. By then, the ATCC was known asV8 Supercars. After not appearing on the calendar in 2004, from2005 to2007, Phillip Island hosted theGrand Finale; the final round of the V8 Supercars season. In each year, the event decided that year's champion, including in controversial circumstances in2006. From2008 to2011, Phillip Island returned to hosting a 500 km race, this time known for sponsorship reasons as theL&H 500. The Phillip Island 500 replacedSandown'sSandown 500 as the annual V8 Supercar 500 km race, an event which was later reinstated for2012. Since then, Phillip Island has returned to hosting a sprint round of the championship, which has become known as thePhillip Island Super Sprint.
The Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix has always been more of a promoter event than a profit-raiser in itself. The contract was prolonged until 2026, although tobacco advertising has been banned since 2007.
1951: A historically significant meeting of six local businessmen decided to re-establish motor racing at Phillip Island.
1952: A steering committee formed and the Phillip Island Auto Racing Club (PIARC) developed with a dream "to build Australia's first international grand prix circuit".The current site was purchased in that year. PIARC calls for 7000 subscriptions at 10 pounds each to assist in the development of the circuit and building work begins. An Alfa was used to measure the three-mile distance required for international certification as an International Circuit.
1957: Phillip Island stages numerous trophy races including the Australian Motorsport Magazine Trophy Race 1957, the Formula Libre race of 1958 and the Phillip Island Trophy race of 1958.
1960: The inauguralArmstrong 500 endurance race is won by Frank Coad and John Roxburgh driving aVauxhall Cresta. They completed the race in 8 hours 15 minutes.
1962: The circuit is damaged during the running of the1962 Armstrong 500 and is subsequently closed to racing.
1964: Businessman and formerAustralian Drivers' ChampionLen Lukey purchases the circuit with a view to redevelopment.[10] Today, a corner on the circuit is named after Lukey.
1967: The circuit reopens with a newly laid surface at the "Grand Re-Opening Meeting" on 22 October 1967.[11]
1978: The circuit is closed,[12] having become virtually unusable for modern racing and, between 1979 and 1982, it is used only for historic rallies and cub sprints.[13]
1985: Phillip Island Circuit purchased by Placetac Pty Ltd, with the view to re-introducing racing to the famous facility.
1988: The circuit is refurbished with a reduced length of 4.449 kilometres and is reopened on 4 December 1988 for the final round of the 1988 Swann Insurance International Series for motorcycles.[9]
2000:Simon Wills sets a longstanding outright lap record of the circuit in theFormula Holden category.
2004: The circuit and surrounding land is purchased by theLinfox corporation with a view to complement the circuit with facilities such as an 18-holeGreg Norman-designedgolf course and a 5-star hotel.
2006: A multimillion-dollar re-development was undertaken in late 2006 by the Linfox Group, including the construction of a newkarting circuit.
2008: ThePhillip Island 500 is run for the first time since 1977, this time forV8 Supercars. The race is held four times before once again becoming defunct.
2012: AustralianCasey Stoner wins his sixth consecutive Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, as well as his last career Grand Prix victory. Before the race, the third corner of the circuit is named after Stoner.[15]
Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit Panorama showing turn 12 heading on to the 900m Gardner Straight
In the early 1990s, Phillip Island was used during the Australian summer for pre-season testing by variousWorld Sportscar Championship teams and someJapaneseFormula 3000 teams (who generally found travelling to Australia was actually cheaper than paying some $5,000 per hour to hire theHonda ownedSuzuka Circuit in Japan). While no official lap times were published, television commentator and race driverNeil Crompton reported in 1990 that theNissan Motorsports International team with driversJulian Bailey andMark Blundell driving theNissan R90C were able to lap the circuit in around 1:18, while a 3.0 LitreMugenV8-poweredDome F3000 (which Crompton drove) was able to record similar lap times. At the time the fastest Australian cars that raced at Phillip Island were the 3.8 LitreV6-poweredFormula Holdens, which were approximately 10 seconds per lap slower.[16]
In late October 2018 Mathew Radisich drove his 2011 ex-Conquest RacingIndyCar during testing at Phillip Island as a part of unofficial practice day,[17] with images distributed online of his recordedCosworth data showing a lap time of 1:17.005. However, as this time was not set during a race meeting, it does not count as an official lap record.[18]
As of October 2025, the fastest official race lap records at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit are listed as:[19][20][21][22][23]
Class
Driver
Vehicle
Time
Date
Modern Grand Prix Circuit: 4.448 km (1988–present)
Tim Slade,Brabham BT62, 2022,Sports car racing)
