Phillip Island MotoGP 2026 weather and ride plan: Friday to Sunday

The 2026 Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix runs 23 to 25 October, and it is the last one scheduled at Phillip Island. If you are riding there, the forecast matters more than the timetable, and this year it changes shape across the weekend.

Everything below was last checked on 20 October at 5:20pm, three days out. It is a model forecast for the island, not a promise. Treat it as a reason to pack, not a reason to cancel.

The weekend at a glance

The hourly view changes the picture a little. Friday is dry all afternoon, but the northerly peaks near 62 km/h around midday and is still about 55 km/h at the 3pm practice. Saturday morning has light showers, around 1.6 mm an hour between 9 and 11, so qualifying is likely to be damp, then it eases to a dry midday before a cooler southerly and about 1 mm an hour around the 3pm sprint. Sunday is wettest at dawn, about 1.2 mm an hour until 11, and lighter, about 0.2 mm an hour, from midday through the 2pm race, with south-south-westerly gusts holding near 51 km/h.

Day	Session	Forecast
Fri 23 Oct	MotoGP practice from 3pm	Dry, about 28 degrees at the top, gusts near 60 km/h from the north
Sat 24 Oct	Practice 2 at 10:10am, qualifying from 10:50am, sprint at 3pm	Cooler, about 18, a good chance of showers (around 10 mm), gusts near 40 km/h from the south
Sun 25 Oct	Moto3 11am, Moto2 12:15pm, MotoGP race 2pm	Cold, about 15, steady rain (around 12 mm), gusts near 50 km/h from the south-west

The session times come from a published timetable. Confirm them against the official event guide, because they are the part most likely to move.

Friday: hot and windy

Friday is the best day on the thermometer and the worst on the wind. A northerly this strong is a head-on or side-on shove depending on which way you are riding.

• Coming from Melbourne, you are riding south into it for the last stretch. Expect to be leaning on the bars along the open parts of the Bass Highway.
• The bridge at San Remo is exposed. Gusts that you barely feel inland are felt properly there. Both hands on the bars, relax your grip, and do not overtake on it.
• Hydrate. Twenty-eight degrees in a jacket on a long straight highway takes more out of you than it sounds.

If your plan has any slack, Friday is the day to arrive, settle in and watch practice from a good spot.

Saturday: the change comes through

The forecast turns on Saturday. Temperatures drop about ten degrees from Friday, the wind swings round to the south and the showers arrive.

• Qualifying is in the morning and the sprint is at 3pm. Rain is possible across both.
• The road is at its worst for grip in the first showers after a dry spell, when oil lifts. If you ride in on Saturday morning, treat the first wet kilometres carefully.
• Keep a layer you can pull on at a fuel stop. A cold change on a bike is not like one in a car.

Sunday: the day to plan for

This is the day to take seriously. Race day is cold, wet and gusty on the current forecast, and the ride home starts after a day outside.

• Pack wet gear in an accessible spot. If you have to dig it out of a bag at the gate, you will put it on later than you should.
• Budget more time for the ride out. The gust forecast is near 50 km/h from the south-west, which makes the bridge and open farmland uncomfortable on a loaded bike.
• Do not leave for a long evening ride cold and wet. If you were planning the run to the high country, read where the beds are between Traralgon and Omeo before you decide, and think about stopping earlier than planned.

What to pack

• Waterproofs you can reach without unpacking.
• A warm mid layer. Phillip Island is exposed, and the wind makes 15 degrees feel colder than the number says.
• Spare gloves, or a way to dry the ones you have.
• A clear visor insert or anti-fog if you wear a full-face in rain.
• Earplugs for the circuit. They help in the wind on the way home as well.

Check the forecast before you leave

A forecast three days out can move in either direction. The most useful thing to do is check the Bureau of Meteorology page for Phillip Island or San Remo the night before and again before you leave, and the Country Fire Authority and VicEmergency pages if it turns windy or hot.

Wherever you are riding from, the route to the Island matters as well as the weather. If you are coming from the far side of the country, we have planned the long way from Perth across the Nullarbor, and if you are staying for the roads once the racing is done, there is a guide to the best motorcycle roads around Phillip Island.

Plan it in the app

Plan the ride in MotoRidez, save it, and check the weather the night before: the forecast is the one thing a planner cannot tell you three days out.

Forecast values were read on 20 October 2026 from a public weather model for Phillip Island and are rounded. Session times are from a published timetable. Both can change. Nothing here replaces the Bureau of Meteorology or the official event guide.