WorldSBK at The Bend as Australian Round Venue from 2028

WorldSBK at The Bend is confirmed. Shell V-Power Motorsport Park at The Bend in South Australia will be the host of its Australian Round from 2028, with the championship signing a multi-year agreement. The 2028 race will mark the championship’s 41st season. Australia has been part of the WorldSBK calendar since 1990 — but from 2028, the Australian Round moves from its long-standing Victorian home to a purpose-built facility in the South Australian interior.

WorldSBK at The Bend: What the 2028 Australian Round Move Means

The Bend opened in 2018 at Tailem Bend, approximately 100km southeast of Adelaide. Its Grand Prix layout runs close to 5km across multiple circuit configurations, and the facility was designed from the ground up to host international-grade competition. WorldSBK Executive Director Gregorio Lavilla described The Bend as offering “excellent facilities and a strong commitment to motorsport” in confirming the deal, and noted that Australia remains an important market for the championship’s manufacturers, teams, and fanbase.

The practical consequence of the agreement is the displacement of Phillip Island from the Australian Round slot. The Victorian coastal circuit has hosted WorldSBK in Australia for most of the championship’s three-and-a-half decades on the calendar and remains one of the most technically demanding venues in international motorcycle racing — fast, wind-exposed, and producing racing that consistently suits the WorldSBK machinery and format. The WorldSBK at the Bend agreement leaves the question of Phillip Island’s future on the calendar open.

The South Australian government is a visible partner in the deal. Premier Peter Malinauskas placed the WorldSBK agreement alongside MotoGP, the Adelaide 500, and the AirTouch 500 Enduro as part of a deliberate state-level motorsport strategy — a portfolio approach that treats international racing as both an economic and tourism asset. It is how WorldSBK The Bend 2028 and events like it get done in Australia — with state investment underpinning the host fee in exchange for the commercial and profile returns that come with a world championship round.

The logic of the WorldSBK at the Bend move is not difficult to follow — a modern facility with government backing against a historic circuit without it. What it starts without is Phillip Island’s accumulated identity: the wind off Bass Strait, the cliff-edge geography, the specific racing character that has made the Australian Round one of the most anticipated dates on the WorldSBK calendar year after year. The Bend will need to build that from scratch. The racing will decide whether it can.

About The Author

Allan Lane

Philadelphia born and bred, Allan Lane is the Publisher and Editor in Chief of digital magazines. He launched his first publication, SportBikes Inc Magazine in 2010, followed by dosage MAGAZINE in 2019. Recently, Allan launched his third online publication, Club For Man. As a journalist, Allan covers fashion, lifestyle, culture, art, and motorcycles.

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