The past week has been a combination of grief, and immense joy, for Phillip Island local Rosa Scarlato.
The owner of Pino’s Trattoria in Cowes has seen decades of MotoGP races on the island. Her clientele includes some of the sport’s most famous riders and teams who traditionally dine at her restaurant every year before the race, with endless orders of bruschetta or bolognese.
But this weekend will be the last.
The news came in mid-February that Victoria had lost its MotoGP race to South Australia, ending a three-decades long connection to Phillip Island and dealing a blow to the Victorian government after it refused to move the event to Melbourne.
“I’m not happy it’s going, but we had beautiful days, good memories and good nights spent together, laughing, and nobody can take away the enjoyment we have had for the last 35 years,” Scarlato told this masthead.
“I think life must go on, if the government wants this, what can we do?”
The mixture of excitement and melancholy Scarlato feels is echoed across Phillip Island.
As diehard rev-heads and tourists crossed the narrow San Remo Bridge and headed into town, a multicoloured mural of motorcycle art is there to greet them: “Thank you Phillip Island.”
Local souvenir shops and motorcycle merchandise stores – whose business typically depends on the influx of visitors each October – are selling shirts with the words “The Final Roar – Phillip Island”.
This weekend locals and business owners are trying to balance wanting to celebrate the last race while acknowledging the economic uncertainty that awaits them.
Courtney Debono, co-owner of The Store, said the hit to the community was immense.
“Not only does MotoGP bring local employment these weekends for night venues, but also the accommodation,” Debono said. “A lot of places really rely on this weekend.”
Destination Phillip Island chief executive Kim Storey said there was “absolute devastation” when the news broke that the island had lost the MotoGP.
“It’s not just the economic impact to the region, it’s actually the platform to promote regional Victoria and Phillip Island and Bass Coast, and our businesses really depend on that October influx and support to our economy,” she said.
Sharon Carlyle has made the six-day motorcycle journey from Queensland’s Sunshine Coast to Phillip Island for the past five years and said the move to Adelaide means she might not attend again.
Starting as a journey to honour her late husband, the weekend has become more than just the race.
“It’s not just about the race, it’s about the ride here and the people you met on the way and all the towns you get to see,” Carlyle said.
The transition to a street race in Adelaide is also a deterrent for her, like many other MotoGP fans who prefer a permanent circuit.
“Phillip Island, you got so many vantage points where you can walk the track and just watch whereas a street circuit, you’re going to be stuck in the grandstands,” Carlyle said.
The Australian Grand Prix Corporation was locked in tense negotiations with Dorna Sports for months to extend the contract to host the race at the famed island circuit, however Sport and Major Events Minister Steve Dimopoulos confirmed the government would not budge on the event organiser’s request to move to Melbourne’s Albert Park, where the Formula 1 is held annually.
“We could have kept it in Victoria, if we sold out Phillip Island,” Dimopoulos said at the time.
“We were never willing to sell out Phillip Island, or impose further on the Albert Park community, or to compromise the F1 [race].
“All those things we were not willing to agree to. We agreed to every other request for the extension of the contract, but not moving it from Phillip Island.”
In the aftermath of the announcement, the motorsport world was rife with speculation about potential replacement events that could plug the economic hole left by the MotoGP.
Last week Victorian Major Events Minister Anthony Carbines announced Supercars would return to Phillip Island on a five-year-deal.
It will be the first time since 2019 that the island has hosted the Supercars championship.
However, the announcement has been met with mixed reactions from Phillip Island business owners and fans.
Scarlato admitted Supercars were “nothing compared to the Motor GP” and would not have the same level of international interest.
“The MotoGP it’s an international thing, and people come from overseas to spend the money in Australia,” she said.
“The V8, it’s very good, but it’s local.”
Debono shared similar sentiments.
“I think its great that they’re [Supercars] coming back, but I don’t think it’s a replacement,” Debono said. “Nothing will ever live up to MotoGP.”
Storey is more optimistic, noting Phillip Island had not hosted Supercars in seven years, so there was an opportunity to do something exiting.
“It’s an opportunity to tell a new story about the Supercar experience in the region, and how we can get our businesses on board to really leverage the event, extend their stay, not just have day visitation, but really explore the opportunities with the organisers to leverage Phillip Island as the must-see round of Supercars,” she said.
Storey and the rest of the team at Destination Phillip Island want to work with the state government on a “broader, long-term recovery strategy” that protects regional jobs, strengthens business and investor confidence, and builds a more resilient year-round visitor economy.
Victorian Historic Racing Register volunteer Peter Donald also saw the positives, noting the expansion of the Festival of Motorsport plus the addition of Supercars could help “build the calendar year back up”.
“It provides the opportunity for a broader economic impact for Phillip Island and the Bass Coast Shire over a 12-month period,” Donald said.
For now, Scarlato – who in 1991 started the restaurant with her late husband Pino – wants to focus on making this weekend “one big, unforgettable party” even if there are a “few tears of joy and sadness”.
She also wanted to pay tribute to the many people who kept the MotoGP running at Phillip Island for all those years, and, of course, her beloved customers.
Her three children have designed a special menu this weekend and are selling T-shirts with a special cartoon design – a homage to 30 years of memories.
When asked why she thought Phillip Island was one of the best races on the calendar, Scarlato shook her head and smiled.
“I never say think, I know it’s the best,” she said.
“I know it’s the best race because it’s such a beautiful track with the ocean and the view and people come from all over the world to see it.
“Nobody can beat Phillip Island.”
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