Greeba to Black Dub

 

The line into Greeba Bridge is fairly easy – it's simply a straight line that takes you alongside the kerb on the right hand side of the road. The kerb itself is dead straight so it's difficult to get the line wrong. Come back a couple of gears to 4th and then look for the low wall on the inside of the bridge. Judging the exact apex is a matter of trial and error but as you turn in, you'll notice that the bridge isn't quite flat – it's actually a very slight crest that can unsettle the machine. It's possible on the bigger bikes to get the back end of the bike sliding so the throttle needs to be gently fed in rather than banged wide open. As soon as you've got the bike more or less upright, you're then safe to get hard on the power. This is another very fast section and you won't shut the throttle until the brake marker for Ballacraine Crossroads.

 

As you exit Greeba Bridge you need to be accelerating hard – you don’t change down again until you’re approaching Ballacraine Crossroads. Get over to the left just after 'The Hawthorn' and look for the first right hand apex by the grey stone building (- I think it's a barn). Run out wide to the left side of the road and look for the second apex and try to take it all in one long sweep. The double apex bend through Gorse Lea can be done in 6th gear all the way – the road surface is good and you need to keep the bike driving hard all the way so that you hold your desired line.

As you come round the second right hander of Gorse Lea the road straightens and then goes over a modest left handed crest. If you're going well, the bike will wheelie over the crest and you'll be able to see Ballacraine Crossroads in the distance. The brake marker for the crossroads isn't always easy to judge and many riders have ended up running straight on as they've realised too late that they're going too quick to make the turn. Hizzy and Nick Jefferies both mention the Silver Birch trees on the right as being useful brake markers - they are characterised by an almost white bark which is different from the trees surrounding them. This makes them easy to spot in almost any conditions, especially gloomy evening practice sessions.

When you've spotted your brake marker, get hard on the brakes and come back 3 gears from 6th to 3rd. Try to take a smooth line round the corner and use as much of the road as you feel comfortable with on the exit. Lean angles are pretty big on this corner as there are no white lines to be concerned about and the road surface is surprisingly smooth.

Get on the gas and drive the bike up the hill towards Ballaspur. Make sure you're well over on the right hand side of the road as Ballaspur is actually a crest as well as being a sharp(-ish) left hand bend. Milky Quayle had his infamous crash here when he tipped in a fraction too early and brushed the wall on the inside – it threw him into the bales on the opposite side of the road – be careful!

If you got Ballaspur right, you find yourself in 4th gear and accelerating VERY hard and carrying tremendous lean angle around the long sweeping right hander leading down to Ballig Bridge. You can just throw gears at it and will be in 6th gear as you come over the bridge. Just after Ballig is the left hander of Dorran's for which you'll need to come back at least one and possibly two gears.

Try to keep a tight line around Dorran’s as there’s not much scope for running wide on the exit. I always aim to keep inside the central white line as I go round there as it then leaves me in more or less the correct position for the next corner, which is a double apex right hander. The corner hasn't got a name but is one of those very technical sections where getting one bend wrong will cause a lot of lost time as you attempt to recover any errors you might make. There is a slight crest between the 1st and 2nd right hand apex after which you'll need to get the bike upright, brake and quickly come back 2 gears for the tight left hander. As you come round the left hander, you'll be able to see Laurel Bank in front of you – there are lots of white lines all over the road.

As you approach Laurel Bank proper, you’ll be able to see the small side turning on the left hand side just before the padding. The corner itself is actually an early apex, even though it doesn’t look like it, as there’s plenty of space on the exit to drift out to the left hand side of the road by the padded wall. It’s one of those corners where you always have the feeling that you could have gone through 5mph quicker. 

There's plenty of space on the exit of Laurel Bank and you need to get good drive as you're going uphill to towards the old Glen Mooar filling station (- it's a cafe nowadays) and a complex section of very fast bends. Just before the old filling station, there's a crest with a bit of a bump which can unsettle the machine, even causing a small wheelie on the bigger bikes. This might cause you a bit of a problem lining up for the first left hander.

The Black Dub is a two part corner comprising a late-entry left hander followed immediately by a blind crest and a very fast, smooth right hander which generates short circuit lean angles. It's critically important to get it right as this is a very quick section with no room for error. As you come over the left hand crest you're very close to the grass banking – there are rocks and all sorts of traps in there so don't get too close. As the nose drops over the crest you have to get the bike cranked over hard to the right as quick as you can manage in order to make the right hand apex and stay on line for the exit of Black Dub. It's a challenging corner and needs to be treated with respect but if you get it right you'll carry a lot of speed up into the Glen Helen section.

 

 
 
*including Saturday 1st September in the event of postponements
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