Verandah to Thirty third
 

As you come around The Bungalow, get the bike upright before you cross the tramlines. Aim for the grass banking on the right under the footbridge and accelerate up the hill (- Hailwood Rise) towards Brandywell. You'll be back up to 6th gear as you go up the hill and you can hang onto it until the first right hand kink at the top. Come back to 5th as you approach the second right hander and then down to 4th before the Brandywell turn. The authorities levelled the grass bank on the inside of the corner at Brandywell over the winter of ‘98/’99 so you can see a bit further through the corner than used to be the case. The edge of the road on the left is now marked by flexible reflective posts set back a foot or so from the tarmac. It’s VERY easy to feel that you’re running wide on the exit of Brandywell, especially as there’s a fairly substantial drop over the edge of the road! If you feel that you’re running out of road, the only thing you can do is keep the power on and LEAN further! The apex of the Brandywell turn is where the stone wall coming down the hillside intersects the road.

Brandywell is the highest part of the course and everything from hereon is downhill. The bike feels like it's gained a few extra horses and seems to be breathing a little easier. You can now see all the bends on the way to the 32nd Milestone so ride it as you see it. You'll be up into 6th gear as you accelerate along the hillside so you'll need to come back one gear to 5th as you approach the 32nd.

Basically, you have to bear in mind that the 32nd is three corners taken in one sweep. If you ‘threepenny bit’ the corner, you’ll not be able to carry speed through the turn and you’ll lose time. The fastest line is to apex the 2nd and 3rd turns through the corner and carry the speed onto Windy. The 32nd can be done in 5th gear – it’s a very fast turn!

Windy Corner was completely re-engineered in February/March 2006 and is now much wider and slightly banked. It bears little similarity to the old corner and can be taken in 4th gear. The corner is wide, smooth and cambered superbly – this alone probably knocks a couple of seconds off the lap time compared to the old corner. The exit of Windy Corner is smooth and very fast and you'll be back up into 6th for the transit along to the 33rd Milestone.

The approach to the 33rd is on the far right of the road – come back one gear to 5th and accelerate into the corner. It's a double apex bend taken at somewhere around 130mph and you need to keep the bike driving hard to carry the speed along to Keppel Gate. The first apex of the 33rd is the really important one – make sure you hit it! The bike drifts out mid-corner and you need to be looking for the second apex – it's hard work holding the bike on line at these speeds. The road is wide and well surfaced and you'll have plenty of room on the exit to line up for the right hander leading into Keppel.

 

 
 
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