Bradley Smith tells us the secrets of Donington Park.
On his Repsol Honda RS125RW, the young British rider comments on a whole lap of the British Grand Prix venue.
Youre on the main straight hiding behind the fairing, focussing on the end of the straight.
- You have to go a little bit into the pit lane and then you bring the bike across into the first right-hander; down three gears. You have to watch out on the exit because the line goes a little bit left and you get really close to the kerb so you have to watch out for high-siding.
- Then you shift up to sixth gear and then its fully top ten, all the way down to Craner Curves. In the left-hander, you have to have a little bit of attention because its easy to go wide.
- Then youre down into Old Hairpin. Shift down two gears and then its through there nice and easy. You have to make sure that you dont go too wide, otherwise you end-up in the grass and there is no run-off area, its just the grass there.
- hen its flat out all the way through, under Starkeys Bridge and also Schwantz Curve and then the left-hander.
- The braking here for the next corner, a right-hander, is a little bit difficult because you cant quite see the corner and also as you hit the apex the ground slopes away, like a camber so you have to watch out that you dont loose the front.
- Then its up to Coppice which is a blind right-hander which you cant see, so you just have to pick a point somewhere in the grandstand or something and just go through there. If you run over the inside kerb its OK. Next you drift in wide and you have to watch out for the high side on the exit of the corner because it slopes away again.
- Then its under Dunlop Bridge and hard braking into the chicane. In the chicane you have to move the bike really fast, left-right, and come onto the kerb. Sometimes you run onto the grass but its not much of a problem, just keep it flat out and really on the grass.
- Then its hard braking downwards into Melbourne Loop. Its really hard, you have to watch out that the bike doesnt come up and then the rear end slopes around, its difficult there. Coming out of there in first gear its like trying to get the bike up the hill.
- Its difficult braking again in this one because the apex is long way round the last corner left-hander – so you have to go in hard and then back in the middle and then far and back out. Finally you follow down there along the finish and then theres your lap.
