A hot lap of
Mallala with Steve Martin
1999 Australian SuperBike Champion
& current World SuperBike privateer
| Mallala is one of my favourite tracks, not to mention my home track. If you are ever going to experience rear wheel spin this is the track to do it. It is also the hardest track on brakes I have encountered.
The start finish straight is not a place where you can gain much rest as the front wheel is always flying skywards. The trick is to be smooth entering turn 1 and don't be scared to use the entire track. I have seen a lot of people try to get back to the right hand side of the track to get a better entry for 2 but I stay tight and enter 2 really tight. Turn two is a great corner and if you get it right there is one line and two apexes. On the exit I get on the gas hard and early using the entire track, standing the bike up as I accelerate out of the corner. Down the pit straight, a quick glance at the pit board to see who is chasing and then it is hard on the brakes into 3. Three is a corner that I enter almost at half track. It doesn't seem to be any quicker to take a wide line and no one can get underneath you. It is possible to make a lot of time out of 3 if your brave enough to get on the throttle early and pin it over the bumps. When the tyre gets a bit old you can get some good wheel spin out of here. (Right click here and select 'save target as' to download a video of Michael Teniswood highsiding his way out of turn 3). Turn 4 is where you know you are going fast .You have to remain super committed to get through here fast. On the way in I hold the throttle on as long as I can [and a bit more for good luck]. The exit is critical. You must open the throttle again and accelerate hard to the braking point for the Northern hairpin. This is one of the hardest braking points in the world. I try and enter wide and come out tight. At the exit I short shift a couple of gears so that I can enter the next left in a gear that will let me get through the corner with out changing mid way. I stay nice and tight as long as possible through the left and drift out towards the end of it. This left hander is wheel spin city. The esses are next. Once again this must be the 2nd hardest braking corner in the world. I squeeze the brake lever to the apex and stay tight through the first part. I then head for the kerb through the 2nd and then apex the last late so, as I am as upright as possible coming on to the main straight. The front wheel claws in to the air and another lap is complete. By the way, Mallala is one of the most physically demanding tracks to ride.
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Coverage of Mallala 2000
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Coverage of Mallala 2001
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