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Tip it in at 270km/h: Sydney's showpiece corner

14 Oct 2021
Turn 1 at Eastern Creek is the fastest on the 3.93km circuit
2 mins by James Pavey
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Mount Panorama has The Chase. Sandown has Turn 6. Pukekohe has Turns 9, 10 and 11. The Surfers Paradise beach chicane. Adelaide's Turn 8.

All corners that reward the committed and the brave, and punish the erroneous.

Sydney Motorsport Park, which will host the resumption of the 2021 season, is headlined by Turn 1.

Turn 1 at Eastern Creek is the fastest on the 3.93km circuit, and one of the fastest in Australasian motorsport.

Hazelwood's 270km/h Turn 1 off

The track itself boasts a unique mix of slow, medium and high-speed corners and a long main straight.

There is a great mix of corners which put a lot of loading on tyres.

Sydney Motorsport Park punishes rear tyres due to the high lateral load through the long corners.

If you have a car that carries good mid-corner speed and also looks after its tyres, you’ll be in for a winner.

Will Davison's high-speed spin in 2017

The earlier the cars change into top gear, the higher their speed towards Turn 1.

Therein lies the great challenge: hang onto the wheel by the seat of your pants, and tip the car into Turn 1, which boasts an apex speed of 210km/h.

The benefit of Turn 1 in Sydney, unlike Adelaide’s Turn 8 or Sandown’s Turn 6, is that there is a significant run-off area.

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However, cars still manage to skate across the sand and find the wall.

The aftermath of Steven Ellery's shocker in 2004

Notably, Steven Ellery in 2004, Paul Morris in 2005, and Scott McLaughlin in 2018 pre-season testing.

Even the best can be caught out; in 1995, Mark Skaife suffered a horrific accident during wet practice at the start-of-season Triple Challenge.

Skaife suffered concussion and heavy bruising to his right side and back in the crash.

He was trapped in the car for 15 minutes before being extricated, and missed the Sandown season-opener.

Flashback: Scary moment for Morris in Turn 1

What makes Turn 1 important is that, if you sweep in and get a good exit, a prime overtaking opportunity presents itself just down the road at Turn 2.

However, if you’re the lead car, the slightest hesitation at Turn 1 will be punished by the driver in the slipstream behind.

Who will be the first driver to take the biggest risk in Sydney when the 2021 season gets back underway later this month?

The 2021 Repco Supercars Championship will resume at the Bunnings Trade Sydney SuperNight from October 29.

Tickets for all four upcoming Sydney events are on sale now.

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