These last two corners look like good opportunities for an 'inside' pass, but the speed you lose by staying tight on the inside of another car on the uphill exits will make a clean pass difficult. So be patient, an easier passing spot is just ahead!
4 SARAH'S COTTAGE TO DOUGLAS ROAD CORNER, KIRK MICHAEL
On exit you will see the formidable 3 metre high stone wall to the right of HANDLEYS CORNERlooming in front of you and with hedges and trees to the left, you wont see any road beyond.
However HANDLEYS is a smooth surfaced left/right/opening left 3rd gear combination. So swallow your 'brave pills'', use all the road you can see and this corner will spit you out unscathed and faster than you thought was possible when you first looked at it!
Hard on the throttle now through a first easy kink [dont try to overtake until after this first kink or you will get squeezed for room] and up to 5th for the flat out blast increasingly downhill between the walls, houses and banks of BARREGARROW.
The next fast right/left kink can be taken flat out, even though there is a crossroad and an elevation change which causes the car to jump a bit. The best passing oportunity in BARREGARROW now briefly presents, usually on the outside [RHS] before the next slower kink.
This next narrow left hand kink/crossroad at BOTTOM OF BARREGARROW, is quite tight 'thread the needle stuff, but still amazingly quick if yogo close to the left hand white wall. Similar in some ways to the chicane at Monte Carlo,including very little margin for error!
While still decending, the road then flattens out on the run down to DOUGLAS ROAD CORNER and KIRK MICHAEL.
If you feel a strange floating sensation here, thats because there are several gentle undulations built into the track surface on this straight.
Brake strongly now for CRONK URLEIGH, a tightening right/opening left combination, beware that these corners are slower than they look and its hard to keep control and a good line, because its downhill still; there are camber transitions between the corners to deal with, and there is some fall away at the exit of the final left, which will see visits to the footpath for the unwary.
SO IT IS IMPORTANT TO BRAKE THE CAR ENOUGHto allow you to tuck into the difficult right hand apex at CRONK URLEIGH and that you DONT GET ON THE THROTTLE TOO EARLY OUT OF THE FOLLOWING LEFT, even though it does open out somewhat.
This is a tight section with few passing opportunities, however you can make up time with accurate driving so you can work towards creating a passing opportunity on the CRONK-Y-VODDY straight., just past SARAHS COTTAGE
Heading north now, accelerate into 3rd out of BALLACRAINEup the slight rise through the left hander at BALLASPUR Even if you have the inside RHS running, be aware of AI cutting accross you to the next right at BALLIG.
This corner is awkward because the road elevation changes at the crest work to keep you left, so back off the throttle and take an early turn in to the right then tuck yourself well to the right around the corner.
This sets you up for the change of direction and entry through a dip to the left handed DORANS BEND. Stay in 3rd and use a nice stab of throttle at the apex. After DORANS, the next right is taken in third and you can press on hard here if you use all the road width until you enter the last left before LAUREL BANK. Here its important to back off to stick hard against the bank on the left, allowing the widest possible arc and early turn in to the tight right at LAUREL BANK, taken in second.
Accelerate up the hill and brake before turning into the tight right hander at SARAH'S COTTAGE. Normally a slowish 2nd gear corner, you may need 1st if traffic prevents you from using all the road. Again, good exit speed rather than fast entry speed is the key to this corner, as you can then carry extra speed up GREG WILLY'S HILL and along CRONK-Y-VODDY
Now pick up 3rd on exit for the next left/right/complex left GLEN HELEN section. Try to straight line both of last two right handers here by staying well to the right.
Start braking as soon as you see the two white buildings, change to 1st then tuck the nose tightly and very early into the apex of the last sharp left. Its easy to run out of road here, so slow down enough to properly 'hook' your front end into the apex and think about good exit speed, rather than fast entry speed.
Next follows a tricky downhill to flat double apex 3rd gear left [The double apex doesnt show up on a map of this scale] with camber bumps on the inside, so ease the car through there on half throttle through the first and full throttle through the second. Too hard too early and the front end wont grip and you will run wide.
GLEN
HELEN
SARAHS
COTTAGE
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The next right hand kink is DRINKWATER'S BEND and you need to be braking heavily before entering this. Allow the car to drift well to the left under brakes [ yes, to the LEFT ] and go down to 3rd, then tuck hard into the RHS through the next tighter downhill right hand kink, slowing gradually all the time. By this point the car will not take full braking, only light pedal pressure because the road is downhill and turns more sharply to the right.
After the last tighter GLEN HELEN section you are able to press on a lot faster for a while,
From SARAH'Saccelerate up CREG WILLY'S HILL through a fast right/double left/right combination but be carefull to keep to the RHS through the last right, as this is a blind crest. Almost impossible to pass cleanly up here, but a good line and acceleration up CREG WILLY'S will allow you to have a shot at a RHS pass of some AI down the following CRONK-Y-VODDY straight [ Known locally and to the riders as"THE CRONK" ]
The open fields and hedgerows of THE CRONK flash by now as you accelerate down the gentle slope through to 5th. After the second set of crossroads there is a flat out right hand kink. Aim to meet the RHS apex post closely there and keep in tight to the right on exit and you should pass AI who are level with you or just ahead at that point.
