ASBK Round 7: Steve Martin Ultimate Track Guide

Expert series commentator and accomplished rider Steve Martin gives us his thoughts on the Sydney Motorsport Park circuit ahead of this weekend’s title decider.

I couldn’t think of a better track than Sydney Motorsport Park to decide this season’s title – with 4.5 points in it between the top three, it’s going to be an absolutely amazing display. It’s going to take an incredible level of skill to win this year’s championship.

It’s a track where you really need the bike to turn well – you can’t let it drift like Phillip Island. Power is also very important, because there’s a lot of stop-start corners. If your bike puts its power to the ground and doesn’t spin the rear wheel too much, you will have an advantage.

This weekend, we have three different manufacturers in the top three championship positions, and they’re all going to have different advantages. Mike Jones on the Ducati will have the advantage of bottom-end grunt which will help him out of the slow corners. Troy Herfoss’ Honda has very easy power delivery so he can get on the power nice and early. Wayne Maxwell’s Suzuki is the newest of the bunch, and it’s a great all-round package that does everything well.

Turn 1

This is one of the scariest entry corners on any track we visit – it’s so fast, but it’s bumpy as well. You really have to dig deep if you want to out-brake someone into Turn 1.

You have to get on the throttle early as you drive out, and use all of the circuit and the torque of the motor.

Turn 2

Turn 2 is slightly off-camber, and if you run wide there’s a good chance you won’t finish the lap. A lot of effort is put in by the teams to get it right, because it’s also an overtaking spot.

Turn 3

It’s a quick run out of Turn 2 into Turn 3, the right-hander up the hill. You haven’t been on the right side of the tyre for quite a while at this point, and it can catch people out, especially with the bumps.

Turn 4 and 5

You can overtake on the change of directions between Turns 4 and 5 – we could see some block passes there over the weekend, and it’s also possible to cut back to the inside into Turn 5, before the run up the hill into Turns 6 and 7.

Turns 6 and 7

Turn 6 used to be a right-hand kink, but it’s much straighter now. Turn 7 is a sharp left-hander, and you’ll see people diving up the inside there – it’s a good overtaking spot, and you really know the traction control is working when you exit, because the rear wheel is spinning all the way up to Turn 8.

Turn 8

Turn 8 is a blind left-hander around Corporate Hill. It’s difficult to overtake but it is a spot where you can set up a move for the run to Turn 9.

Turn 9

This is one of the slowest corners on the circuit, and there are several different lines so it’s a good passing spot, and we could see some argy bargy with riders fighting for positions on the last lap. You have to be careful not to high-side on the way out.

Turns 10, 11 and 12.

You ride up to the fast Turns 10 and 11, and if you’re leading the race on the last lap at this point, you’re in with a good shot. You have to keep the mid-corner speed up, so no one can dive up the inside into the final corner.

Coming out of Turn 12, it’s all about getting down behind the screen, trying to hold it all together and hoping that no-one can slipstream you on the run to the line.