PHILLIP ISLAND
AUSTRALIA’S GIFT TO MANKIND
Hidden away on an island just off the south-east coast of Oz lies 2.76 miles of pure genius. Fast, flowing and littered with unpredictably suicidal wildlife, Phillip Island is a gem of a circuit that more than lives up to its hype. If you’ve ridden tracks like Donington or Silverstone, you’ll find it easy enough to gel with the wide track, but learning how to go fast takes time and the growing of some seriously big balls.
The first corner’s a real mind blower, approached from flat out in sixth, before changing down two gears, tickling the brakes and peeling in at crazy speeds. Turn two’s no less easy, demanding a fast entry and late apex to get a strong drive down towards Stoner’s.
This fourth gear left hander is perhaps the most ballsy part of the circuit, followed swiftly by heavy braking for the Honda hairpin, which has a tendency to pull you in and scupper your drive out to Siberia.
That’s another crucial corner as it lines you up for the drive up to Hayshed, which demands your wholehearted commitment if you want to avoid the adjoining tyre walls. From knee down right, the transition left on the run up to Lukey Heights is likely to prove both physically and mentally challenging.
This part of the track is blind and the corner is of a double apex nature, which you have to set up from a long way back, at high speeds in third. When you get your line right it feels awesome and helps you no end as you begin your steep run down to MG.
The trick is to keep as far left as possible, and get your bike stopped early so you can keep a take tight line in on the right hander and maximise drive to up to turn 11. From there, it’s a case of shifting up to fourth and powering your way towards the final, superfast bend.
Keeping with the track’s theme, the apex is blind and it’s not until you’re halfway through turn 12 the Gardener Straight becomes visible. To make things even more interesting, the camber on the far side of the track drops off steeply, so expect fifth gear slides and the odd vicious tank slapper. It’s one hell of a ride!