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Turn One
Going down the front straight, all you can see under the bridge is ocean and it looks like that’s what you are headed for. You hit the bump/jump just after the start and finish line as you flash under the bridge and it all opens up on the run into turn one. It’s normally back two gears and the big bikes had you grabbing the brakes about the 150m mark, with the 600s at 100m. It surprises you how deep you can go into this turn, since you get the speed sensation with the wind hitting you and it’s always around 300km/h. It’s important not to be too aggressive on the brakes and just get settled so you hit the inside apex where the bumps are close to the inside kerb and after the bumps get straight back on it.

Turn Two
A common mistake here is to pull the bike over to the right too far after exiting turn one. Turn two is a double apex turn so you can pretty much go straight at it from turn one and apex it going in and then drift out in the middle and apex it again on the way out – running down to turn three. A good run out of turn two means you can pass someone before you get to turn three or at worst, be on the inside of them tipping in.

Turn Three
This can be real fun but also a heart in the mouth type of turn. The bikes have picked up so much speed out of turn two and just as you tip into turn three, the track drops away and gets a little bumpy so you can find yourself going in with the front wheel ever so slightly off the ground, the head shaking and the wind trying to push you into Bass Strait. Once you get it in and on the gas it can be so much fun drifting on the exit. This is where the passes into Honda corner are set-up and pretty much done.

Turn Four
This is one of the best overtaking opportunities on the whole track. As important as it is to get the bike working through the fast corners out the back, it also has to be good on the brakes. The thing that can change from day to day here is the braking marker – depending on the wind, it can change from 30-50m. The bike never feels good around Honda and you always feel too slow around there and that the bike could fall over but you just have to tell yourself to get the exit right.

Turn Five & Six
Six is a great corner with plenty of grip and good camber but has a strange entry and a really late apex. If the bike is geared right, you shouldn’t be downshifting here – just leave it in second and brake. You get it on your knee quite early and out wide and apex it late just as you are starting to wind it up for the exit. A tight exit is really important here and having the bike upright launches you into the next fast physical section. 

Doohan said to me once that the most important part of the track is from Siberia to MG corner. It is very bumpy near the outside kerb on the exit and when the front is light, it is a real physical effort to get the bike over to the left before the flick right into the hayshed. There is a big bump right on the inside near the kerb through this left kink, I always found it easiest to let the bike wheelie over that bump and change direction on the back wheel.

Turn Seven
It never really settles until you roll the throttle a little and get it onto the knee and into the hayshed. On the 600, that wasn’t an option because on a good tyre it was wide open all the way through – touching the limiter in fourth. It is a fun turn when you get it right going from the inside white line to the outside white line. It is also one of only two real times you use the right side of the tyre properly. Again, like turn one to turn two, don’t waste too much effort pulling it over to the right for a wide entry into Lukey. Just get it in there.

Turn Eight
This is a really fast entry and you can run it into Lukey Heights hard because it runs uphill and a few lines work. It’s normally back one gear from fourth to third. There is a bump on the entry on the inside and straight after the bump, you need to get back on the throttle to settle the bike and keep it rolling up and around the hill to apex it again at the top of the hill. The run around here and over the hill is super important because you can stop someone passing you or line up someone for a pass into MG. It’s really a knife edge with rear grip around Lukey – drifting over a blind rise that really only opens up once you are over the hill and heading downhill to MG. 

Turn Nine
Depending on gearing, MG corner can be a first or second gear turn. I preferred second as it cancels the short shift from first to third out of MG and it isn’t so aggressive on the side of the tyre on exit. There is a bump out wide if you tip in from there but I never go there as the middle of the track is fine for me. That allows you to really stop it and get a tight exit set up for the next left. Getting out of MG fast is more important than trying to carry too much corner speed because running wide messes up the next corner and your speed down the straight.

Turn 10
It’s a strange turn that never really feels right and feels frustratingly slow. It seems too long to get on the throttle. Between MG and this turn you can accelerate really hard into turn 10 but then the key is to wait a little so that the bike is turned and pointing towards turn 11. Then open the gas hard and quickly on the fat part of the tyre – running it out to the edge of the track. 

Turn 11
This turn is probably my favourite worldwide, tipping in from the outside white line straight onto your knee all the way in. Sometimes it feels like you will never get it into the apex but as soon as you do, it’s straight back onto the gas – heading for the rise and the outside of the track onto the straight. I’m tucked in even before I’m out of the turn and just before I get it out to the kerb, I’m snicking fifth gear as the front is getting light over the rise and there are a couple of dips in the track near the kerb. When you get a great run out of here and hit the outside of the track, it’s perfect and it’s guaranteed your speed down the straight is greatly improved. 

Phillip Island through expert eyes… Words: Andrew Pitt  Photography: Peter Mitchell, Keith Muir

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Gearing
A common mistake at Eastern Creek is to gear the bike for the super-long front straight. You must gear it for the corners because there are so many second and third gear corners that if the bike isn’t jumping out of them the lap time will never come.

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Grid Position
Not as critical here as some places because there is such a long drag to and through turn one. Most bikes don’t even need to brake for turn one off the start. The ideal position though is on the outside where pole is, or even seventh or eighth which places you on the outside of the second row. A good start can get you around everyone into turn one.

TURN ONE
This is a really awesome corner regardless of your bike size because it is so fast and open that you can make up so much time through this turn when you get it right and feel comfortable running into it. The bike always gets a little light going into it over the bumps from the dragsters. On the 250 Production bike it was top gear and some say it could be done flat out. I tried it once while leading the Australian Championship race in 1996 and lost the front on the bump that is halfway around it. In Supersport it was fifth or fourth gear depending on gearing and the Superbike was fourth. One of the only real overtaking places is into turn one out of the slipstream and up the inside if your bike is fast enough.

TURN TWO
What you could do into turn two depended on your run through turn one. Other than that it’s a pretty boring double apex corner where you could lose more than you could gain if you tried too hard. It’s about getting out of it well then short shifting to get the run over the tunnel that could open up another passing opportunity down the inside.

TURN THREE
This is the first right hand corner on the track so you have to make sure the rear is up to temperature because getting the right run through here could open up a passing chance into four. Keeping the front wheel down over the tunnel is an issue on the bigger bikes.

TURN FOUR
You need to hit the inside apex early here over the bump because keeping it tight all the way around is important for setting up turn five. Pick the throttle up early through the right but not too aggressive so you can set up turn five in third gear.

TURN FIVE
As soon as you flick it left, pick up the throttle even before apexing the left to get the run up the hill. Getting it right means you drift out onto the ripple strip exiting the turn. I remember the first time I tested Kev Curtain’s race winning ZX-6R. I was loving the fact that for the first time on the road I could spin the rear in third gear.

TURN SIX 
Turn Six used to actually be two corners but in recent years SMSP have straightened out the entry and eliminated a turn. Back to second on the ZX-7R Superbike the exit here is really fun in spinning it until it’s upright. The drive is really important out of here because a passing opportunity into turn nine starts here.

TURN SEVEN
Corporate Hill, as it was called, is a fun corner on any bike. Blind on entry over a bit of a rise and as soon as the bike is settled, it’s straight back on the throttle again. Many people get in trouble getting into turn seven so it’s one of those turns you have to sacrifice a little going in so you can get a super exit on opening up the possibility of diving up the inside of someone into turn nine.

TURN EIGHT
I found you can pretty much use any line going into nine without losing anything as long as you get it stopped and can open the throttle quickly on the exit.

TURN NINE
Really fast entry here that doesn’t need a lot of braking, mostly when you are upright picking it up to tip into turn 10. I found out the hard way grabbing a big handful of brakes just as I tipped in one day on the RGV 250.

TURN 10
You need to pay attention to the inside kerb on a Production based bike because I have seen many people touch the case on the inside kerb here and go down. Once into 11 you need to pick the throttle up again drifting out to the kerb before pulling it back in for the entry to turn 11.

TURN 11
Along with turn one, this is probably the most important corner on the track because the exit out of here determines your straight-line speed and chances of getting a slipstream or stopping someone getting in your slipstream. Getting it turned and pointing down the straight before you open the throttle allows you to open it very quickly and get all the important drive over the rise and down the hill.

OTHER THINGS
Among other things that stand out in my mind at Eastern Creek is the afternoon sun. Any time after about 4:00pm going into turn one becomes pretty tough, along with corporate hill as you’re suddenly blinded going into turn nine.

The pit roof is another unique aspect to Eastern Creek with everybody going up there to watch the races and then running from one side to another to see the bikes come down the straight, over the tunnel and into turn nine.

The lovely NSW Police Force also set up on Brabham Drive under the expressway, at the roundabout and behind the huge spectator mound outside turn one. A cynical person would say that this is purely to book people as they enter and leave the area…

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I only ever went up there once to race and that was with Doyley and the Team Kawasaki Australia boys. Robbie Phillis and young Pete went ahead about a week earlier. The stories of that road trip from Pete about life in a truck with Phillis for a week, is in itself entirely for another issue. I suppose it was just about the equivalent of today’s flyaway races in the world championship. It was probably our only really hot summer type race as the Aussie Championship is run through the winter months.

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Flying up on the Wednesday and checking into a nice resort style holiday spot made you feel like you were away on a summer holiday somewhere with a few trips out to the racetrack thrown in. I do remember flying in over the coastline and beaches and seeing a few big old crocs soaking up the sun on the water’s edge. That was definitely somewhat of a surprise.

I learnt another pretty valuable lesson in punctuality up north in 1999 and that was when Peter Doyle says the team car leaves the hotel at 0800 then that is exactly when it leaves. I strolled down into reception about 0805 with everyone sat in the car waiting for me and Doyley simply said this is your one chance and the next time you’ll be getting a taxi. Scott Breedin explained to me that Marty Craggill had been left at the hotel a few times the year before and therefore had to get himself a taxi to the circuit. It had the desired effect because I was never late again.

Onto the circuit now. I found it probably due to lack of use but more likely having all the cars running around on it always made the 2+4 events a bit greasy. With the front straight at Darwin 1.2km long it gave you a nice little rest but also meant it allowed Craig Connell and Stevo Martin on the factory Ducatis to really stretch their legs. I had everything possible tucked in trying to stay in the slipstream especially of Craig. We were tapped out in sixth on the approach to turn 1.

Turn 01
Back down through the gearbox to 2nd and there was plenty to be made up on the brakes here because it is very much a double apex turn a bit like the Southern Loop at Phillip Island but you could really get sucked in here if you tried to go up the inside of someone and risk completely missing the turn. My old mate Krusty Fergusson found that out off the start of race two when he thought he could come from 5th or 6th and out brake everyone but unfortunately instead of just running off the track or running wide he used me to stop and took us both out. Krusty came away unscathed as he mostly did but I had a broken wrist to take home with me.

Anyway the first apex was on the way in while still trail braking and letting it drift out to about the middle of the track before pulling it back to apex again on the way out then letting it run out to almost the outside kerb while grabbing 3rd and 4th in pretty quick succession all the time trying to pull the bike to the left to get the next series of corners linked together right.

Turn 02/03/04
This is all taken in 4th for me on the ZX-7R and the end part very close to the limiter where the power goes a little flat just so the bike wasn’t still accelerating through the 3 and 4 flick from right to left before grabbing the brakes and shifting quickly back to 3rd for the right handed turn 5. This all needed to be done very smoothly because braking and down shifting while changing direction quickly can get messy if you don’t keep everything together including my movements on the bike.

Turn 05
This was a pretty basic and simple corner as long as you got it setup right on the way in. I tended to run it in a little fast sometimes because my bike was a little lazy in 3rd on the way out so I was always trying to roll through it a bit quicker. During the final qualifying on Saturday I remember it had gotten really hot and the circuit had started to melt and come apart and oil had been dropped on this corner that was then covered in cement dust. So if you slithered through the cement dust OK you were then presented with some potholes and lifting black stuff at turn 6. On the out lap though of final qualifying I didn’t make it past the cement dust losing the front on the way through.

Turn 06
Having been able to pick my bike up out of the infield of turn 5 I rode it back to get it checked over only to come straight back out in a rush and get one turn further and crash at turn 6 on the melting rutty part of the circuit. This time running back or getting a lift I don’t remember to the pit lane dreading the look on the boys faces when I wanted the spare bike. Flat and slippery and back to 1st or 2nd depending on the bike you were on. A Supersport bike would be in second whereas I took it in 1st so I didn’t need to carry as much corner speed and I could pick it up on the exit and jump out of the turn short shifting up to 3rd for the next fast right turn 7.

Turn 07
This was a turn you needed to sacrifice just a little on the entry to make sure you got it back for the right hand apex and got a really good exit for the next few fast corners all linked together. If you rushed at turn 7 a little fast tipping in early or simply were too wide on the exit of 6 the exit was terrible even if you managed to not run too wide.

Turn 08 and 09
Turn 7 and 8 were almost like one big double apex turn with a constant lean angle and constant throttle from the exit of turn 7 while shifting up to 4th just as you almost touch the inside kerb through turn 8. Still flat out in 4th while flick it left on the run down to turn 10 in the middle of the track.

Turn 10
You could enter here about the middle of the track not bothering to pull it back to the right too far for the entry in really run it in fast after back shifting down to 3rd. Let it drift out a little then picking up the throttle and aiming for the apex of turn 11.

Turn 11/12/13
These three are really just points to aim for while flick it from one side to the other on the throttle. The sections like this and also exiting turn 1 are linked corners where the bike needs to really steer well on the throttle and to get this you will need some good support from the rear of the bike. You definitely don’t want it being a chopper through these sections. After hitting your turn 11 apex it was a flick right for turn 12 apex and then right again to hit the turn 13 apex before letting it run out to the edge of the track while you set yourself for turn 14 and the exit onto the all important 1.2km start finish straight.

Turn 14
Just as you are grabbing the brakes and down shifting to 2nd while passing the turn 13 apex you should only be thinking about setting yourself up for the perfect exit onto the straight to finish the lap.

I got myself caught out in a painful way being a little over eager getting on the throttle as early as possible by hanging a highside without actually crashing. The rear stepped out and I was flicked up over the top but still hanging onto the bars I can back down on the tank with my head through the screen and both legs falling on one side. I had nutted myself and luckily the pit lane starts just after the exit because that was the direction I was going in. I managed to stay on board and dribble down pit lane to the boys that grabbed the bike while I fell into a heap in pit lane. After a few minutes I got my shit together and went back out for another go. This time though, I tried to picked it up a little more and ride it like a Superbike instead of the Supersport bike.

So that was how I rode around Hidden Valley and to be honest it wasn’t one of my best weekends result wise having an almost crash on Friday and two crashes on Saturday, a 4th in race one and my third crash on Sunday in race two courtesy of Krusty. I headed back to Sydney with a broken wrist for my troubles but the silver lining was I also had the lap record from race one that was to stand for more than 10 years, mainly to do with the fact they didn’t go back there to race until recently!

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Located less than an hour (88km) north of Melbourne just off the Hume Highway, was made possible thanks to the guts and brains of a few back in the 1950s. The then ACU of Victoria started the Land Purchase Fund (LPF) with the aim of one day buying land for use by racers so they have somewhere to compete forever. A contribution of two shillings (20c) was made by each rider towards the fund. Eventually then Hartwell MC president Murray Nankervis spotted a parcel of land on Strath Creek Rd, Broadford. 

The first track to open was the MX track, then the dirt track. In the mid 1980s an enthusiastic bunch of volunteers began work on the road race circuit and it was opened in 1990. The road race track is in Reg Hunt Park and is 2.16km long with 12 turns – nine rights and three lefts, or two lefts and a left kink. For me, it is the most enjoyable track in Australia. I love the undulations, camber changes and hard braking in some spots. Broadford has it all and is an extremely fun track to ride. 

Back in the day, all the big names would do the Shell Oils Australian Road Race Championships, The Vic Titles and the NSW Titles. The State championships were just as big as the Nationals. It was fantastic. My first meeting was the first round of the 1996 Vic titles. I rode a Graeme Boyd sponsored RGV250. Kev Curtain had won the Shell Oils 250 Production Championship on it the previous season.

 Back then the pits were chock-a-block. Well, there were only a few dodgy carports for the lucky few with the dollars. The rest of us were parked in the dirt. I had my Mitsubishi L300 as a garage and the back door up as shelter. It was stinking hot during the day and freezing cold during the night. I camped there in my van and was the only person in the pits – I’m sure of it. In fact, I spent half the night walking the track with a torch. A lot of good that would have done! 

First practice Friday was a disaster –  a holed radiator on the back straight and a ceased engine by the run down the hill before I realised. As I was on my own, it was a nightmare… I missed the rest of the day of course and luckily a kind person in the pits drove all the way to Melbourne and back to get me a second-hand radiator! I rebuilt the seized engine in the dirt and in the back of my van and made it out for warm up and qualifying on Saturday morning. I can’t remember the rest of the weekend but a few top 10 finished in my first race meeting there was OK.

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I remember watching the greats there. Back in the 250GP days who could forget Craig Connell or Marcus Payton (RIP) ripping it up in the 59-second mark. Or Andrew Willy on the 125GP bike, Kev Curtain, Chad Turnball, Andrew Pitt, Karl Muggeridge or Chris McAteer on 250 Proddies. Not to mention the awesome superbike and supersport races of the 1990s in the 57,58 and 59 second brackets. 

Back then the track was in shocking condition and I’m happy to say it is much better these days. The deep groove that sent many a rider into the wall on the brakes into turn one is gone, and there is a bit more run off in places but it is still a track you really, really don’t want to crash on… not only is the runoff limited by natural terrain and the odd concrete wall – there is also little room for other competitors to get out of the way so it is very easy to get yourself run over if you crash infront of a pack at Broadford – particularly in turns one and two…

Facilities are not bad. The bathrooms have hot showers and are clean. There is a good café with really good coffee. Power is trip free most times in the pits and camping is permitted too. All up a great place and best of all, Broadford is the best spectator track in Australia. From anywhere around the outside of the circuit you can see the full lap! 

There is plenty of accommodation in surrounding areas. I usually stay in Seymor as there are a bunch of reasonably priced hotels there and a good shopping centre to get supplies. It is just 20-minutes up the road and offers a lot more than Broadford.

Start/Finish Straight
I start my lap on the chute and position myself to the far left of the track if going for an optimum time. About a metre in from the edge of the track there is plenty of rubber on the track and lots of grip. Braking here starts really, really late. I normally take up lever slack and roll off 10 meters before the track starts to climb and then I do my braking up the hill as I turn into T1. Using the track like a ramp to stop the bike. If you have someone slipstreaming you on the chute, stick about a metre from the inside and hug the paint into T1 on the brakes. 

Turn One & Two
It is important to get your turning done quickly here and crack the throttle otherwise you load the front and it tucks a bit. As soon as you crack the throttle start to feed power on. There are numerous fast lines here but if alone I double-apex the two corners turning them into a triangle. Between T1 and T2 a quick turning moment means you can stand your bike up and use the fat part of the rear tyre.

Lots of highsides here as riders open the gas in the wrong part of the corner. It is very off camber. Off the start this is a great place to pass. Hug the paint all the way around the inside and you are guaranteed to pass at least five people and block them on exit. A good exit is crusial for speed at the end of the back straight.

Turn Three & Four – back straight
The back straight is so, so important. As you exit T1 and T2 you crest a small hill at the top then there is a flat-out downhill run to T5. T3 is a small kink, as is T4, and so the fast way is to straightline it all the way to T5. Stay tucked in really tight. I find this a great place to pass as people run wide on the gas out of T2 I stick to the right of the back straight all the way and then have the upper hand on the brakes into turn five, usually making up a few spots in the first few laps. 

Turn Five
The approach to turn five is uphill and can catch you out. As you brake very, very hard and late up the ramp the back wheel wants to come off the ground. It can be a tricky balance trying to get optimum stopping done while keeping the bike stable in readiness for turning. I usually get my arse right back off the seat over the back of the bike here to help out. If you are alone, you can use all the track from left side braking right up to just before the apex of the corner. If you are in a battle you need to make your way to the inside before you get to the corner.

Beware! It’s not hard to go around the outside of someone into this corner and you can then get on the gas earlier and ruin the other rider’s run. So it is a corner of many variables. The main thing is getting that throttle open hard. It is off camber on exit but there is grip. If you are not battling wheelstand down the hill you are not opening the throttle hard enough! It is important to get good drive down the hill to T6 as a pass up the inside is possible. If you don’t make the pass here it is almost impossible until after T9.

Turn Six
Turn six is a right kink that is very fast. As you exit T5 it is easy to get yourself a bit wide. You can’t afford to drop off the edge of the track as it is around a 10cm drop off to the dirt and you won’t get back on without a crash. As you accelerate downhill towards T6 you are already setting yourself up for T7 where you brake hard for the T8/9 flip flop. I sometimes go around the outside for a pass around T6 & T7 and just shoot up the inside into T8 but you have to have the pace. If you hesitate on excecution you end up in the dirt! 

Turn Seven/Eight/Nine
If alone I do my braking earlier and I’m on the gas into T7 and on steady throttle through T8 & T9 back hard on the gas. If in a battle I brake into T7 and even the change of direction in T8 then hard on the gas. It’s important to really get the steering done quickly and get that bike from full lean right to full lean left then right again as fast as you can. It’s quicker to sit in the middle of the seat and not hang off too far wasting time climbing from one side of the bike to the other in T7/T8 then hang off for T9 so you can get the bike up on the fat part of the rear tyre for the off camber exit. Really important to get good drive off T9 for the long downhill run to T10 where it is a great place to nip up the inside. 

Turn Ten & Eleven
These are my favourite corners. They are cambered positively and there is lots of grip here. Ideally you want to use all the track into T10 and not brake too hard but carry lots of rolling speed which will have you flowing all the way onto the chute eventually. But in a race you usually have someone trying to pass on the brakes here. Then they will lose their rhythm and slow both of you up through T11 and T12. So I usually stick to the middle of the track and brake like a bastard into thos corner, then ease the lever off and it’s immediately rolling on the throttle hard at what seems like an incredible lean angle heading into T11. It is amazing how hard you can accelerate towards T12 there is lots of time here. 

Turn Twelve
If you got T10 & T11 right and got good drive off T11 you will have had a heart-in-mouth whoooaa ‘I hope the front holds because my elbow is almost on the ground’ moment into T12. Don’t panic there is grip just don’t go too wide and don’t grab a handful of brakes! I use plenty of rear and lots of throttle through T12, lifting the bike between my legs through the off-camber exit then driving it at full throttle down the hill onto the chute. If in a battle, you need to square off T12 entry and brake deep, turn and squart the gas for a run onto the chute but that is not the ideal way through the turn.

Broadford Lap Records

• OUTRIGHT: Steve Tozer CBR1000RR 57.93
• 250GP: Craig Connell TZ250 59.40
• SUPERBIKE: Alistair Maxwell ZXR750 58.75
• FX: Craig Coxhell R1 58.34
• SUPERSPORT: Christian Casella R6 58.41
• 125GP: Blake Leigh-Smith RS125 1:00.05
• 250 Proddie: Rodney Taplin 1:03.60
• SUPERMONO: Peter Parkin Yam600 1:02.05
• THUNDERBIKES: John Allen MV F4 59.45
• SIDECAR: Terry & Todd Goldie TZ750 1:02.40
• FX Thunder: Rob Carrall VTR 1:01.35
  

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Turn One
Depending on what size bike you are taking through there, this is not really much of a turn and is more of a fast kink. On the ZX-6R it was back one gear from sixth and then rolling the throttle back on slightly before turn two.

Turn Two
After drifting to the outside of the track coming through the turn one kink in fifth, I would pick the bike upright a little to brake in a straight line while shifting back two more gears before tipping into turn two. It is important to release the brakes early here to let it keep rolling and pick up the throttle early to keep the rpms from dropping too low and get a good exit which could allow one of the very few passing chances up the inside into turn three.

Turn Three
On your own (or at a track day) you would approach from the outside white line, shifting back to third for a fast entry but in a racing situation you had to cover yourself a little from someone coming up the inside.

Turn Four
Was simply about pulling it back to the left a bit and shifting back to second and even a mid-track entry was okay here because you tended to park it a little before you started to build speed again through the next series of turns.

Turn Five
After picking it up a little and driving out of turn four over the slight rise, turn five was slightly faster as you went down through the dip that was the apex, all the time being careful not to grind out the cases and foot pegs through here and ending up on your arse in the dirt. 

Turn Six & Seven
This turn meant building speed around the right and keeping the bike stable before flicking it left through the fast turn seven.
Depending on the bike and gearing again, but usually it was up to fourth through here to soften the bike slightly under acceleration before grabbing the brakes and back to second for the tight left.

Turn Eight
Here it was basically just a matter of getting it stopped and lining it up for the exit onto the next faster section. After apexing the turn you would get on the throttle smoothly, a little like the 11 and 12 combination at Eastern Creek. Picking up the throttle and letting it run out before pulling it back in to apex again.

Turn Nine
Having shifted up to third on the exit of turn eight and sometimes fourth (again to keep the bike settled), it was then the flick right and on to turn 10. You really needed to be inch perfect through here – outside white line, inside white line and outside white line again to get the run onto the back straight and hopefully create a passing chance into the last turn on the track, the tight second-gear turn 11.

Turn Ten
Following KC around here in the early days was when I started to realise that rushing in all locked up on a bigger bike wasn’t always the best way because although I liked to be able to close the gap a lot on Kev on the brakes I would lose all of it and more again every time on the exit.

That was when I started to realise I wasn’t using the power on the exit because I couldn’t get the throttle opened. All because I was still trying to get it stopped and all back in line and I was carrying way too much lean angle while Kev was already gone with the throttle fully open.

Overall I really enjoyed riding around on my own at Wakefield Park and loved the layout but racing on it left me a little frustrated trying to find passing places. I would imagine it must be a pretty tough race around there with a field of superbikes unless you had qualified on the front row and got away at the front. Saying that though, compared to some of the BSB tracks I have seen, Wakefield Park leaves them standing in the shade.

Being honest though, if they can run car races around Wakefield Park, then back in 1997 when I last raced there in my early Supersport days I probably still had a fair bit of my overtaking craft and manoeuvres to learn. 

Wakefield Park is located near Goulburn in NSW and is named after the founder of Castrol Oil. WORDS: Andrew Pitt PHOTOGRAPHY: Keith Muir, John Smith

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The pictures always showed how much sand there was everywhere at Barbagallo and that the bikes stayed upright in the sand when they ran off the track, even when the riders were no longer on board! My first experience over there was in 1994 for the round of the Shell Oils Australian Road Race Championships.

The only viable option expenses-wise was for a whole group of riders to get together and crate all the bikes up in a pantec truck and get someone to drive them over and back via Mallala for their round of the Championship.

Chris Taylor’s Dad, Alf, was the driver so he didn’t have to pay as driving was considered a pretty good contribution. A certain Troy Bayliss had his ZZR600 in the truck, too! This allowed the rest of us to fly over and see our bikes again at the racetrack. Everyone seemed to be on the same Qantas flight over from Sydney with all the factory Superbike riders of the day stationed up the back of the plane conducting the party.

We were staying at the Wanneroo Tavern with Phil Harper and his dad Bob and the Buckmasters – Malcolm and Damon. Phil knew the Buckmasters pretty well from the NSW Central Coast and they had advised us to stay there as it was pretty close to the track but could get a little noisy and rowdy on Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. 

That didn’t worry Malcolm though because he would just get up and go and sort them out. As a 17 year old I hadn’t had many nights out or seen too many things out of the ordinary such as topless waitresses on Thursday nights around the pool tables and a pub rocking all night, but the Wanneroo Tavern gave me all of those things. 

After dinner in the bistro on Thursday night, the old boys decided they needed a beer or two so we riders accompanied them in for a squash before official practice started the next day only to be greeted by naked ladies everywhere. Needless to say we probably drank all the squash in the joint before getting off to bed to get some sleep.

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The Saturday topped it all though when the general pub noise was getting louder and louder and I was sleeping like a log until woken yelling just outside our window. Dad was awake so we got up to see what was going on. 

Phil and Bob were up too with their door open and Malcolm was definitely up. Apparently one of the drunks had wandered over, obviously lost and had tried to get into their room through the window and Malcolm had come straight out ready to have this bloke. Upon seeing big Malcolm, the bloke shit himself. Realising he had made a big mistake on his room choice, he skipped up onto a car and then onto the motel roof to get away from Malcolm. 

What we had heard was Malcolm telling this bloke to get down and accept his punishment and the bloke pleading with Malcolm to be let go in one piece. A good old-fashioned stalemate was what we had but it all ended peacefully and became a good story to tell about the Wanneroo Tavern. 

The track surface was very abrasive but also very grippy especially in the wet which I suppose it had to be considering when the wind came up the sand blew onto the track. The track goes clockwise so right, right, right most of the time, which I liked.

As the years went on, dad and I did it together in a Hiace bus that went over on the train and we drove it back across the Nullarbor picking up Craig McMartin’s trailer after their vehicle had broken down in a race to get to Mallala for the next round. Needless to say the fuel economy went out the window towing the trailer across the desert coupled with the fuel prices out there. The year after, Peter Doyle agreed to throw our private ZX-6R in their truck and dad and I managed to get two third places against all the factory teams and that weekend probably got me started with Doyley and crew. At the very next round, the latest model I had been waiting for was ready and prepared by TKA and it led to second in the championship that year behind Damon Buckmaster.

The pit facilities were always good with competitors side by side in the carports in the early days, to the more upmarket lockable sheds that were generally privately owned and made available for the bigger teams over the weekend.

The Supersport bike was all about corner speed and maintaining momentum while the Superbike was all about getting it up and managing the wheel spin and hence tyre life. I have to say though, the Superbike was by far the most fun around there especially getting out of the bowl out the back.

The accommodation changed from the Wanneroo Tavern to Hillary’s Boat Harbour as things got better but it was always the round that everyone looked forward to all year – from the welcoming club and fans over there to the Sunday night parties in the clubhouse at the track. There was always the core group of workers headed by Denise that put on a great weekend and made everyone welcome and nothing had changed when I went back in 2009 for the Kings of Wanneroo.

“Thankfully an Australian Championship round has returned there because it was simply criminal they lost it and it’s not a real Australian Championship without going to Wanneroo.”

I told you I would finish the story of the rental car going around the adjacent motocross track so here are a few more details. Now I won’t mention any names and it was a few years before my time so maybe it’s just myth but as I said a rental car was rumoured to be taken around the motocross track and by the end it would only go in fifth gear and reverse. To make matters worse, it was bent through the middle and the doors wouldn’t open so when it was finally returned to the airport all occupants had to get out through the windows.

Summing up Wanneroo there is no doubt it always provides great racing and passionate spectators but by week’s end there will always be a few new stories to tell.

TURN ONE
It has a pretty short front straight and depending on gearing, fifth gear was about as high as you would ever get (and sometimes only fourth). Normally you’re grabbing the brakes well past the end of the pit wall (around the pit lane exit), going back to third and running in really fast. It wasn’t a key overtaking spot but it could be done, you had to block the other rider a little, stopping yourself and trying to prevent running those couple of bike lengths wide allowing your competitor straight back past you on the inside. 

Third gear seemed generally a little tall on the entry but it made you keep it rolling around the long right to keep the corner speed up for the exit which ended up being a quick run up to the uphill left. Getting it up onto the fatter part of the tyre was important on the exit because it was very easy to lose that jump off the turn while it was spinning

TURN TWO & THREE
These two weren’t really turns for me just flicks left and right as quick as possible before getting into the fast uphill Turn Four. Although, through the right flick you had to be very careful not to touch the inside kerb with the engine case and then not touch the drain on the inside of the entry to Turn Four.

TURN FOUR
Was the only real left hand turn on the track but it was long and allowed you to easily get the tyres scrubbed and enough heat into them. It was third gear on all bikes and was uphill so I always found myself running in really fast but still thinking maybe I could have pushed a little more going in. Once the bike was settled it was straight back on the gas to keep the speed building. It was critical to keep it tight all the way around the uphill left but circuit knowledge was also critical because you couldn’t see the next right! 

Until you knew exactly when to flick it right you were guessing, which meant sometimes doing it too early and heading for the inside kerb and sometimes too late and getting out into the sand on the exit. During that flick to the right there was also a gear change up to fourth and then another one to fifth at the crest of the hill as you were touching the outside kerb on the exit to keep the front wheel down before heading down into the bowl.

TURN SIX
This is still one of my all-time favourite corners because of how much fun you can have on the exit with wheel spinning and tyre smoking, especially on a bike with some horsepower. It was downhill braking, back to third and also a really good overtaking opportunity if you had gotten over the top of the hill before well. It was a matter of getting it in there and hitting your apex, getting it pointed in the right direction and then start opening the throttle and let the fun begin. It really was dirt-tracking skills at their best. The exit just opened up and there was so much room heading back up the hill with the tyre spinning while you were grabbing gears. All the talk at the end of the races between riders was how much smoke was coming off your tyre and how much smoke we were riding through.

TURN SEVEN
This was the last overtaking chance and probably where all the races were settled. I won battles there but also lost a few, too. Getting the bike over the hill in top gear without flipping it was the first issue, well before the braking duels started but once you touched down it was about going in as deep as possible. The middle part of the braking zone starts going uphill after the steep downhill run and this was the first time I have ever felt front forks bottoming-out under brakes.

After sneaking up the inside of someone you had to hold your line or they would be back up the inside on the exit and beat you to the line while you were trying to stay off the big high kerb on the exit. That kerb is also where it can all come unstuck trying to jump it, or if you get the rear over the crown, it lets go really quick (as happened to Crusty one year). The key was to just use the inside part of it as a bit of a berm. This was where all the spectators were and generally there was plenty for the marshals to clean up in the sand after some of the moves didn’t stick.

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THE ESSES
Into the Motorsport Esses could present you with a real chance to get past someone even on the first lap, but it was still a bit desperate and you had to lock it all up and somehow get through the chicane and out the exit on the black stuff. 

On a flying lap I took it in third because it was quite a fast chicane and second would have slowed me down too much. Third on the exit seemed a little lazy but the boys assured me I wasn’t losing out up the hill to the finish line.

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TURN THREE
I am going to call Turn three the old Turn one (Honda Corner) up on top of the rise where the grid was when I raced there.

So it was all about braking on the outside of the track and back to second, while tipping in – trying to apex where the track dips away on the inside. This corner has a really nice camber allowing you to pick up the throttle early, driving towards Turn four. You had to watch a little on the exit as you drifted towards the outside of the track when the camber flattened and the rear tyre would step out a little just as you were picking it up.

TURN FOUR 
Still in second for Turn four grabbing just a little brake to wash some speed off and pull it into the apex setting yourself up for a really good hard exit carrying as much momentum into the long fast Turn five.

Exiting Turn four I would grab third gear as the front was going light trying to pull it over to the right for the entry of Turn five.

TURN FIVE
Turn five was where you could really get some time especially on the run in on the front but to do this you needed confidence in your front tyre and setup. I found the best way was to run in quite fast trying not to grab too much brake as washing speed off then meant you needed to crack the throttle early again to get the momentum up again.

It was easy to panic a little getting in there really fast and grab too much front braking on the side of the tyre. I saw a lot front lockups there and bikes cart wheeling through the infield. The trick was to get as far around the corner as you could on your entry speed, then picking up the throttle later just to keep it rolling along.

TURN SIX
The next flick through this section reminds me a lot of the uphill left right over the hill at Wanneroo where you need hold it tight around the left until exactly the moment when you flick it right and try to straight line it through. Though it is a bit easier at Winton because it is flat and you can see the right. Hold third through here and rev it all the way to the limiter on the outside of the track before grabbing the brakes while straightening up, to be able to brake as hard as possible for the Turn seven hairpin.

TURN SEVEN
Turn seven was one of the few passing spots at Winton because it is mostly a one line track but here if you had gotten the previous two corners right you could find yourself with an unexpected chance to jump up the inside of someone. Honestly if you had made a really good job of Turns five and six you could be almost alongside someone before you grabbed the brakes. It was critical to get it stopped here though because if you missed the apex just by a metre then who ever you passed would be back past you.

TURN EIGHT
This next corner was where you just needed to give it a smooth, gentle little squirt from apex to apex and letting it run in and around the corners, trying not to stop/start it too much. This was where Kev was good. I did all this in second thinking it felt slow but actually it turned out to be the quick way through it all smooth and keeping the bike balanced.

TURN NINE
Turn nine had you approaching a bit faster and braking hard into the apex to hit the apex and set up for a run along the short straight and maybe try and get up the inside of someone but when you are racing factory Ducatis on Michelin tyres you’re kidding yourself if you even think you can stay close to them on acceleration. Especially with jockey size Craig Connell on one! Even though Steve Martin had to carry quite a few more kilos there was no keeping up with him on acceleration either. Around somewhere like Winton with all the stop/starts it was the never-ending stretching rubber band game. They would jump away out of the turns and I would pull it all back on the brakes.

TURN 10
Turn 10 was back from third into second again trying to get it stopped because if you missed your apex just a little you lost so much exit speed down the next little straight trying to stay on the track and get the throttle open.

TURN 11 & 12
Turn 11 was exactly the same if you rushed in too fast shifting back from fourth to second you ran out too wide on the exit and couldn’t open the throttle between 11 and 12. So it was a matter of outside white line braking into turn 11, then inside white line apex, drifting out to outside white line while picking up the throttle before 12 and then trail braking into the inside white line apex for 12 to get that exit onto the start/finish straight.

The ZX-7 could stretch its legs slightly more here getting into fourth for only the second time all lap and into fifth for the only time. 

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