Sydney Motorsport Park

What it does

You've been flat out for nearly 800 m and the track bends left in a long, open curve. It's bumpy on the way in, so the bike goes light just as you start to lean it. Most bikes don't need any brake here at all.

The line

Stay out on the right of the straight and turn in level with the marshal post. Keep it as one smooth arc to the inside and let the bike run out to the right as the corner opens.

Throttle

A small roll-off to settle the front, then back to steady throttle. If you brake, do it upright and early, and be off the lever before you lean.

Where it goes wrong

• Chasing speed here in session one. It's the corner that costs the most when it goes wrong.
• Grabbing the front brake over the bumps while leaned.
• Running wide and trying to save it on the track. If you're wide, use the run-off and rejoin when it's safe.

Next session drill

Pick a gear and a turn-in point and keep both the same every lap. Then roll off a fraction less each session until it stops feeling easy.

Gear: Andrew Pitt's GP-layout track guide (PitBoard).

What it does

The corner tightens twice, with a looser bit in the middle. It turns through more than 200 degrees and goes uphill out of the second part. Where you put the bike on the way in depends on how well you got out of Turn 1.

The line

Brake from the right, touch the first apex, then let the bike drift off the kerb through the middle. Come back for a late second apex and get it upright for the short run to Turn 3.

Brake

Do the hard braking upright, then come off the lever slowly as you tip in for the first apex. Don't trail it all the way to the second one. That's what the gap in the middle is for.

Where it goes wrong

• Hugging the inside the whole way. You end up tight at the exit and slow up the hill.
• Taking the first apex too fast and running wide before the second.
• Turning in early because the corner looks tight from the brakes.

Next session drill

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

What it does

You come straight out of Bond Bend and flick right. The right side of your tyre hasn't worked since Turn 9 on the last lap, and on a big bike the front wants to lift as you go over the tunnel.

The line

Bond Bend spits you out on the right. Get across to the left straight away, then turn in for a smooth arc to the right-hand apex and let it run out to the left. A good run here sets up a pass into Turn 4.

Throttle

Steady, building throttle. On a bigger bike, keep your weight forward over the tunnel so the front stays down and keeps steering.

Where it goes wrong

• Pushing hard on the out lap or after a red flag. The right side is cold.
• Sitting back and letting the front go light over the crest.
• Rushing the turn-in straight out of Bond Bend before the bike has finished its exit.

Next session drill

On your first two laps of every session, ride this one at 80%. Then build it up once the right side has some heat in it.

Andrew Pitt's GP-layout track guide (PitBoard).

What it does

It's a medium-speed right with a bump near the apex. It comes straight before the left at Turn 5, so whatever you do here decides how you get into Brock's 05.

The line

Get to the inside early, over the bump, and keep the line tight. Stay near the right side on the exit so you're on the outside for the left at Turn 5.

Brake

Brake upright, then get back to the throttle early but gently. You want the bike settled and in third gear by the time you get to 5.

Where it goes wrong

• Running out to the left on the exit and arriving at Turn 5 from the wrong side.
• Snapping the throttle open over the bump.
• Treating it as a corner on its own instead of the first half of 4 and 5.

Next session drill

Look at where you are on the track at the exit. Aim to be on the right-hand third every lap.

Andrew Pitt's GP-layout track guide (PitBoard).

What it does

The track climbs as it turns left. Uphill helps the rear grip and takes speed off for you, so you can get on the gas before the apex and carry the momentum up the hill.

The line

Come in from the right, take a mid-track entry and let the bike drift out on the exit. If you got the drive right, you'll run out towards the ripple strip on the right.

Throttle

Get back on the throttle before the apex and keep it building. If you're still waiting to open it at the apex, you came in too fast.

Where it goes wrong

• Over-slowing on the way in, then trying to make it up with a handful at the apex.
• Arriving from the left side because you ran wide out of Turn 4.

Next session drill

Pick a spot before the apex where you'll be back on the throttle. Move it earlier one lap at a time.

Gear: Andrew Pitt's GP-layout track guide (PitBoard).

What it does

The entry was straightened out years ago, so what used to be two corners is now one slow left. It's the tightest radius on the lap. The way you leave it decides how fast you get through Turn 7 and the run to the hairpin.

The line

Brake from the right, turn late and apex late. Pick the bike up early so you can drive it out. Don't cut in just because it looks tight.

Brake

Finish most of the braking before you lean. Once the bike's turned, open the throttle and let the rear spin up a little on the exit.

Where it goes wrong

• Turning in early and running out of road on the exit.
• Opening the throttle hard at full lean.
• Braking so much that you crawl through and lose the drive anyway.

Next session drill

Pick the 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.

Gear: Andrew Pitt's GP-layout track guide (PitBoard).

What it does

The track climbs and you can't see the exit when you turn in. Once you're over the top and the bike has settled, you can get straight back on the throttle for the run down to the hairpin.

The line

Start on the right, turn in at a fixed reference and aim for the inside at the top. Once it's settled, stay over on the left. That's where you want to be when you brake for the hairpin.

Throttle

Give up a bit of entry speed and get a strong exit instead. Roll off before the crest, stay off the brakes over it, then drive.

Where it goes wrong

• Turning in early because you can't see the exit.
• Braking over the crest, when the bike is light.
• Running wide to the right on the way down, then having to brake for Turn 8 from the wrong side.

Next session drill

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

Andrew Pitt's GP-layout track guide (PitBoard).

What it does

The track drops into a near-180-degree right. Going downhill means the bike takes longer to stop than you think. It doesn't really matter which line you take in, as long as you get the bike stopped properly and can open the throttle early on the way out.

The line

Brake from the left, turn late and hit the apex past the middle. A late apex points you down the next straight instead of at the outside kerb.

Brake

Brake in a straight line, harder and earlier than it looks. Ease off the lever as you tip in. Downhill plus trail braking into a cold right side is how this one bites.

Where it goes wrong

• Braking at a flat-track marker. Downhill needs more room.
• Turning in early and running wide on the exit.
• Diving up the inside at a track day. It's a racing move. Save it for racing.

Next session drill

For one session, brake 10 m earlier than normal and concentrate only on a late, tidy apex. Watch how your exit speed changes.

Andrew Pitt's GP-layout track guide (PitBoard).

What it does

You arrive quickly off the straight and the track bends right. It doesn't need much braking. The tricky part is getting the bike upright again straight away to tip it left into Turn 10.

The line

Turn in from the left, get to the apex in the middle and let it run out only a little. You want to be able to pick the bike up and tip into 10 without waiting.

Throttle

If you need to slow down, roll off or brake upright before you turn in. Don't grab the brakes while you're tipping in.

Where it goes wrong

• Grabbing the brake mid-turn because it came up faster than you expected.
• Running wide and losing the entry to Turn 10.
• Riding into the low sun late in the day without allowing extra room.

Next session drill

Try one lap each session with a roll-off instead of the brake. If you're no slower into Turn 10, keep doing it.

Andrew Pitt's GP-layout track guide (PitBoard).

What it does

The first half of the two lefts that lead onto the straight. On some bikes the engine cases touch the inside kerb, and that's caused crashes. Give up a little here to get Turn 11 right.

The line

Tip in from the right, apex near the kerb but not over it, then drift out to the right-hand kerb before you brake for 11.

Brake

A dab of brake on the way in, then a short burst of throttle as you drift across for Turn 11.

Where it goes wrong

• Cutting over the inside kerb at full lean.
• Carrying too much into 10 and ruining the entry to 11.

Next session drill

Treat 10 as the set-up for 11. Ride 10 a little slower for a session and see whether your speed at the end of the straight goes up.

Andrew Pitt's GP-layout track guide (PitBoard).

What it does

A long left that opens onto nearly 800 m of straight. The speed you carry out of here stays with you all the way to Turn 1, and so does your chance to get a slipstream.

The line

Turn in late and apex late. Get the bike turned, point it down the straight, then open the throttle as you let it run out to the right-hand edge.

Brake

Brake lightly from the right-hand kerb, get the turning done, and only then feed in the throttle. The more upright you are when you open it, the harder you can drive.

Where it goes wrong

• Opening the throttle before the bike is pointed down the straight, then running out of road.
• Early apex, so you have to roll off again near the exit.
• Sitting up to check the timer or the pit board. Tuck in.

Next session drill

Watch your top speed at the end of the straight. If it goes up while nothing else changes, your Turn 11 exit got better.

Andrew Pitt's GP-layout track guide (PitBoard).