Bike Track Guide - Silverstone Arena GP
There is no doubting which track is the home of British Motorsport. While Donington used to be the home of MotoGP and also came close to stealing the Formula One, its near-demise at the hands of previous owners meant that Silverstone was primed for a resurgence - and that’s just what happened.
The track itself is flat and there may not be any particularly interesting features but it’s fast and flowing. It no longer uses the old flat-out Bridge corner but there are some interesting additions to challenge any rider.
Depending on the track day that you book, you may use the old F1 garages that they still use for support events and races on the National circuit, or you could be in the new Wing. Silverstone seem a little unsure about what their best options are at the moment so track day and race allocations can be a bit sporadic. Either way, the first corner should now be regarded as being Abbey and not Copse, as it used to be.
Blast down the new pit straight and get on the brakes around about where the gravel begins on the left-hand side and look for your turn-in point at the start of the new tarmac. Abbey is a deceptively quick corner - you can hold more speed through here than you think but only if you get it turned in in the right place.
The next corner is fairly flat but it’s a fast change of direction so it’s easy to get yourself out of shape if you run wide.
Use the width of the track on the exit of Farm Curve but you’ll need to bring it back to the left-hand side for braking into Village. Braking is hard and you need to scrub off quite a lot of speed - this will be much harder if you’ve still got the bike tipped left when you jump on the brake lever.
The kerbs are serrated and there’s a big sausage kerb on the inside so be careful not to get the bike out of shape at the clipping point. The camber will help you tip the bike in but works against you on the exit as you can find the edge of the track appears out of nowhere - if you get to that point, it will be too late to get the bike into the best entry position for the Loop so take your time over the first few laps to feel your way round.
Bring the bike back right and take a late apex into the Loop. The exit is more important than the entry as Aintree is near flat out - which then leads onto the long Wellington Straight (formerly known as the National or Club straight). Hold the throttle half open until the bike is tipped into Aintree and then get on the power for the blast down to Brooklands.
This corner will be familiar to anyone who’s been on the National Circuit at Silverstone. It’s much wider than the old entry point from Bridge on the now defunct Grand Prix Circuit so you have plenty of time to pick a braking point and look for the apex.
The track is very wide down the straight- enough for three bikes or more - so this is a good place to get some overtaking done. The wide entry to the corner and the clumsiness of Luffield that follows means a tight entry won’t harm your lap too much so you can afford to leave braking late to get that last minute lunge down the inside in the braking zone - just be careful not to run wide or get on the power too early.
As you approach Brooklands there is some red and white kerbing on the right-hand side. You can use this to judge your braking and turn-in point.
Luffied has to be one of the least-loved corners in the UK. It’s clumsy and slow and so it’s very easy to lose concentration. The easiest way through here is to take a wide entry, aiming for a very late apex. This will give you a nice slingshot down the old pit straight and ensure that you don’t find yourself running into the gravel trap on the outside of the corner.
Ease off slightly through Woodcote but don’t get off the power too much or the engine breaking will give you a horrible wobble.
After a short blast down the old pit straight you find yourself at, what used to be the first corner, Copse. This is a very fast right-hander that requires some bravery to get through unscathed. The apex is blind thanks to the end of the old pit-lane and scrutineering bay. There is plenty of room on the exit which is fine in the dry but unbelievably slippy in the wet. Watch out for a bump on the apex left by cars - missing the apex may actually keep the bike settled.
Get up into fifth and drive the bike up towards the Maggots/Becketts complex. Don’t waste any time in getting over the right-hand side of the track as the following section is one of the fastest parts of the track and you’ll appreciate the extra second or two to get yourself set up for the first part of the corner.
Drop down into fourth and try to keep a constant throttle all the way through to prevent the front from tucking under - the higher revs will give you better drive onto the Hangar Straight.
On a road bike you could still reach speeds of up to 180mph so make sure you stay alert. The Hangar Straight may be straightforward enough but when you’re open to the elements it can be a bit of a shock to the system.
Most novices will brake too early for Stowe. It’s true for both cars and bikes - they also usually balance this out by going far too fast into Vale/Club.
As you go under the bridge, there will be a strip of newer tarmac running across the track, come off the throttle as you leave these strip and head back onto the older tarmac. Get all your braking done in a straight line and hold the bike left - don’t turn it into Stowe too early.
You want to leave turning into the corner almost until you don’t have a choice. If you’re racing you’ll try not to leave too much room down the inside but for a smooth, fast lap click down into third and turn in just at the end of the kerbing on your left-hand side (by the green escape road).
Vale follows and then into Club but it is not the same corner that used to feature on the old Grand Prix Circuit. It has been altered slightly to allow the new pitlane entry. You will need to brake very hard but watch out for locking wheels - slow the bike down and turn-in late, compromising your speed through the first part of the corner to get a better exit onto the very long sweeping right-hander that leads onto the pit straight.
Ease the throttle through the first apex, letting the bike run wide to the kerbing and then open it up keeping a constant throttle through the right-hander onto the pit-straight. You can afford to run wide on the exit as there is plenty of run-off but be careful not to run out onto the artificial grass if it is wet.
