Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit

What it does

You arrive at top speed after 900 m of straight, often with a crosswind, and the surface is bumpy under brakes. It's a fast corner, so it doesn't feel like it needs much braking. It needs more than you think.

The line

Stay on the left of the straight, brake upright, then turn in and get the bike to the right-hand kerb. Let it run out towards the left edge on the way out, which sets you up for Southern Loop.

Brake

Do your braking with the bike upright and come off the lever smoothly as you lean. If the front feels busy over the bumps, loosen your grip on the bars and let it move.

Where it goes wrong

• Braking at your road-riding marker. Speed at the end of this straight is much higher than you're used to.
• Getting blown wide by the wind and panicking. Look at the apex and keep turning.
• Death-gripping the bars over the bumps. The front shakes more, not less.

Next session drill

Pick a braking marker you know is early. Each session move it one marker later, only once the corner feels easy.

MotoGP braking figures: Brembo.

What it does

The track loops back on itself through about 180 degrees. You touch the inside early, drift out in the middle, then tighten up to a second apex for the exit. You're leaned over for a long, long time.

The line

Turn in from the right, touch the first apex, then let it run wide through the middle rather than fighting to hug the inside. Come back to the second apex late and you'll get a far better drive onto the next straight.

Throttle

Get back on the throttle early and hold it steady. Gentle, constant throttle keeps the bike settled. Rolling on and off mid-corner upsets the suspension and eats the left side of the tyre.

Where it goes wrong

• Trying to hug the inside the whole way. You arrive at the exit too tight and slow.
• Coasting with the throttle closed. The bike feels nervous and runs wide on its own.
• Getting impatient and picking it up too early before the second apex.

Next session drill

Count the two apexes out loud. If you can't feel two distinct moments of tightening, you're riding it as one big curve.

What it does

You come off the Bass Straight with the track dropping away. Going downhill unloads the front, so the bike feels light and vague just as you're asking it to turn at high speed.

The line

Start from the right, aim for a late apex on the left and let it carry you out to the right. That puts you on the correct side for the hard stop into Miller Corner.

Throttle

Roll off a little to settle the bike before you tip in, then get back to a steady part-throttle. One smooth input. Grabbing the front brake here is the worst thing you can do.

Where it goes wrong

• Braking because it feels fast. Brake earlier on the straight if you need to, never in the turn.
• Rushing the turn-in and running out of road on the exit.
• Going in tense. A light front needs light hands.

Next session drill

Find the speed where you can turn in with no brake at all. Then add a little speed each lap from there.

What it does

The slowest corner on the lap and the first real passing spot. You brake hard while changing direction out of Stoner, onto the right side of a tyre that's been cooling for three corners.

The line

Brake from the left, turn late and hit the apex well past the middle. A late apex gets the bike pointed and upright sooner, so you can drive out towards Siberia.

Brake

Get the bike upright from Stoner before you squeeze the brake hard. Then ease off the lever as you tip it in. Trail braking deep into a cold right side is how this corner bites.

Where it goes wrong

• Braking while still leaned from Stoner. The front tucks.
• Turning in early and running wide on the exit.
• Forgetting the right side is cold, especially in session one or after a red flag.

Next session drill

For one session, brake 10 m earlier than normal and concentrate only on a late, tidy apex. Exit speed will go up.

What it does

Barely a corner. You're accelerating out of Miller and the track flicks right. It matters because where you end up decides how well you get into Siberia.

The line

Hug the right side through the kink and stay there. Siberia is a left, so arriving on the right gives you the widest entry.

Throttle

Stay on the gas. If you have to lift here, it usually means you were too wide out of Miller.

Where it goes wrong

• Drifting to the left after the kink and turning into Siberia from the wrong side.
• Treating it as a rest. It's a set-up corner.

Next session drill

Watch where you are on the track after the kink. Aim to be on the right-hand third every lap.

What it does

A slower corner after a run of fast ones. A good exit here is how riders set up passes into the next section. A bad one costs you on the whole run to Turn 7.

The line

Brake from the right, turn in late, apex late. Use all the road on the exit. Don't be tempted to cut in early just because it looks tight.

Brake

Smooth, progressive throttle once the bike's turned. Too much too early spins the rear, pushes you wide or highsides you.

Where it goes wrong

• Opening the throttle hard while still at full lean.
• Early apex, so you're on the kerb at the exit with nowhere left to go.
• Over-braking and losing the speed you need.

Next session drill

Pick a point where you'll start opening the throttle and don't touch it before then. Move that point earlier only when the exit feels lazy.

What it does

Taken quick, with a lot of lean, then you flick right for Turn 8. It doesn't look important on the map but Turns 7 and 8 together are one of the biggest chunks of lap time.

The line

Keep it smooth and keep it fast. Use the left apex but don't run all the way out to the right on the exit. You want to be in position to turn straight into Hayshed.

Throttle

Steady throttle. A big lift here costs you all the way down to Lukey Heights.

Where it goes wrong

• Treating 7 and 8 as two separate corners. They're one quick left-right.
• Running wide on the exit and having to wait before turning into 8.

Next session drill

Work on a fast, clean change of direction from 7 to 8: hips across early, look ahead to 8 before you've finished 7.

What it does

You come in from Turn 7 already moving, flick it right and carry the speed up towards Lukey Heights. Anything you lose here, you lose for the next 300 m.

The line

Turn in from the left, get to the apex, then let it run out to the left. That keeps the bike up and accelerating towards Lukey.

Throttle

If you brake at all, get off the brakes early and carry momentum. Corser's advice for this one: off the brakes, keep the speed.

Where it goes wrong

• Braking too much because the corner comes up quickly after 7.
• Clipping the apex too early and having to lift on the exit.

Next session drill

Try one lap a session with a quick roll-off instead of the brake. If you're no slower at Lukey, keep doing it.

Troy Corser's WSBK lap notes on Hayshed and Lukey Heights.

What it does

You climb, the track disappears over the crest and you turn in without seeing the exit. At the top the bike goes light and the camber falls away, so rear grip is hard to find. Then it drops straight down to MG.

The line

Run out to the right before you brake, turn in for a late apex at the top and keep it tight. You need to be lined up on the left for MG straight after.

Brake

Do your braking and downshifting before the crest, then stay off the brakes over the top. Come off the brakes before you think about shifting up again.

Where it goes wrong

• Turning in too early because you can't see the exit.
• Braking over the crest when the bike is light.
• Running wide at the top and arriving at MG on the wrong side.

Next session drill

Find a reference you can see before the crest, a post or a kerb, and turn in at it every lap. Blind corners need a fixed marker.

What it does

You come over Lukey Heights and the track falls away into MG. The bike is light, pointing downhill and still leaned left when you need to be braking hard and lining up a right. That's why people miss it.

The line

Stay left on the way in, brake in a straight line, then turn late. Hit the kerb after the middle of the corner, not before. A late apex points you at Turn 11 instead of the grass on the left.

Brake

Downhill braking needs more distance than it looks. Start at a marker you can find every lap, and move it 5 m later each session, not 20.

Where it goes wrong

• Turning in early because the corner looks tight. You run out of road on the exit.
• Braking while still leaned from Lukey. Pick the bike up first, then squeeze.
• Snatching the throttle before the bike's turned. Wait for the apex, then roll it on.
• Diving up the inside at a track day. It's a racing move. Save it for racing.

Next session drill

Pick your turn-in point and say it out loud in your helmet every lap. If you can't name it, you don't have one yet.

What it does

Out of MG you're climbing towards the last corner. This is where you start building the speed you'll carry all the way down Gardner Straight.

The line

Come out of MG and get the bike across for a tidy left apex, then let it drift out to the right as you accelerate. Keep the arc smooth into Turn 12.

Throttle

Early, progressive throttle. Uphill helps the rear grip, so you can feed in more than you'd think. Short-shift if the rear starts moving.

Where it goes wrong

• Being too slow out of MG so the whole run to the line suffers.
• Holding a high gear and bogging up the hill.

Next session drill

Note your speed or rpm at the top of the hill each lap. That number is your MG-to-11 exit score.

WSBK speed: Troy Corser's lap notes.

What it does

A long, building-speed left that spits you onto 900 m of straight. Every km/h you carry out of here, you keep all the way to Doohan.

The line

Stay patient on the inside and let the bike run out to the right-hand edge as you open it up. Use every bit of the exit kerb if your organiser allows it.

Throttle

Hold a steady throttle through the middle and keep adding it as the bike stands up. Then tuck in early, chin on the tank.

Where it goes wrong

• Picking the bike up too early and running out of track.
• Sitting up to look at the pit board, the timer or your mate. Tuck in.
• Giving away the run onto the straight to save half a second of lean.

Next session drill

Watch your top speed at the end of Gardner. If it goes up while nothing else changes, your Turn 12 exit got better.