The lap begins at the start line at about 200km/h in 4th gear before you brake hard and go back to 2nd gear for the first turn, Hell Corner. Hell is one of the track's most critical corners. If you get a bad run out of it you lose speed going onto Mountain Straight. And because it is uphill you never get it back.
Griffin's Bend, at the top of Mountain Straight, requires precise braking and 3rd gear, but you're helped a bit by the fact that it's uphill and there's a camber change halfway through, so the car pulls up easily.
It's important to keep car speed as the climb to The Cutting is one of the slowest on the whole track. Having accelerated up to 4th gear, you wash off speed going into and through The Cutting, dropping back to 2nd gear to get on the power for the steep climb.
Powering up to 3rd gear for the run along the fence at Reid Park and into 4th gear for the sweep through the left hander on towards McPhillamy Park. It's all about timing here, get it right and you can set the car up nicely for McPhillamy; get it wrong and the car will be kerb hopping all the way across the top, losing time and increasing your heartrate!
McPhillamy is a blind corner, you never know what is on the other side until you get there, which doesn't take long at 200km/h. It is taken virtually flat in 4th gear, with a slight confidence lift off the accelerator as you crest the brow and the car leaves the track for a moment, just before the sweeping left hander.
The short blast to Skyline will see you hit the limiter in 4th before braking hard for the run down the Mountain, which begins blind. Get it wrong here and you'll never recover.
The key to Skyline and The Esses is to try and straighten them as much as possible. Drop back to 3rd for Skyline and to 2nd for The Esses to keep as much throttle on as possible.
In the middle of The Esses is The Dipper, scene of many spectacular racing shots. While you try to keep the car on four wheels, momentum usually means the inside wheels lift clear of the track.
Exiting The Dipper you're in 2nd gear and accelerating hard, up to 3rd for the run to Forrest Elbow. This is a tricky corner and if you don't brake early enough your race can end very quickly in a tangle of ready-mix and metal. It's another corner of dramatic camber change.
We are doing about 130km/h as we swing onto the longest straight in Australia, Conrod. The exit to this corner is critical. If you come out too slow you've got no chance of passing anyone on the roller coaster ride of Conrod. But getting it right means you'll see almost 300km/h in 6th gear before a quick right hand sweep sees you brake HARD for the left hander at Caltex Chase.
The left hander in The Chase requires 3rd gear, and then its the foot to floor for the right hander over the brow, onto the short straight down the hill to Murray's Corner.
Murray's is probably the best passing spot under brakes at Mt Panorama, so you've got to be on your guard not to go in too deep if you are in front. If your behind then it is a case of forcing the other guy into a mistake and get by him on the inside. Back to 2nd for the corner, on the gas for the exit, and up through the gears on Pit Straight to cross the Start/Finish line to see if you can put in that perfect lap.
....just kidding
..hmmm I would like to see Donington Park,Suzuka,Circuit de La Sarthe,Silverstone...well atleast some more off them great endurance tracks
