1.Welcome to Southwick. The giant sandbox where anything can happen and the locals know how it's done. Let's get this iLap under way!
2. The first turn is a pretty hard left hander...and the only time it stays this smooth is the first lap of practice. The second turn is a burmed right handed affair which normally develops two lines, inside and out.
3. Turn 2 is called "dozer drift" in honor of Steve Girroir, who used to take care of the track, but passed away unexpectedly earlier this year.
4. Next up is a long sweeping uphill and past the old finish line tower.
5. At the top of the hill, the riders will hit a left handed sweeper,which will build up a huge outside berm....
6. Coming out of the fast sweeper, riders face the first jump - a tabletop.
7. Followed by a downhill landing and a right hander, which continues downwords.
8. Next up is a tricky left hander switchback, complete with John Dowds doghouse. This is a tricky downhill, right left right, followed by an uphill...
9. There is something about this turn that makes me want to ride the wide line while holding the bike wide open....
10. Where John Dowd lives when he is not on the podium....
11. An uphill climb! The whoops will be nasty here...
12. At the top of hill, riders hit their first drop off, and come back into the main spectator area...
13. Next up is a short downhill uphill combo, and right in front of the Parts Unlimited and Rockstar hospitality rigs. At the top of the uphill, riders hit another tabletop and come into a tight 180 degree turn...
14. After the 180, riders drop into the infield section, with a small downhill drop and a short tabletop.
15. Riders are then faced with a big downhill drop off, followed by a crazy uphill/downhill off camber turn. This part of the track gets super rough and always favors the local riders, all of whom know the hot lines. It is always changing and evolving as well, as turns get pushed wide and new berms form.
16. Coming out of the left hand turn riders face a short uphill stint, with a super tight 90 degree right hander at the top.
17. These fans were in awe of how silky smooth the track looked. Note the two different lines at the top of the uphill.
18. Next up is the Buckley Berm, a tight slow speed affair. This section is tricky, as you have a short downhill coming into it, and which unsettles the bike - making turning a little harder. Also the sand is super soft and moving around under the bike.
19. The Buckley Berm: notice how loose the sand is.
20. Coming out of the Buckley Berm riders climb back up a small rise to a very fast right hander. They will be wide open through this section and it will get nasty. This is also a prime viewing area as well, as the main bleachers are right above.
21. If this doesn't make you want to rail a corner, you're crazy! It's like a slot car track...
22. This is the main spectator viewing area, which is a drop down and then up affair, followed by a tabletop at the end.
23. Riders enter into another "S" turn, before dropping into the back section.
24. And into one of the fastest sections of the track... the berm at the end is a long sweeping left hander.
25. Followed up by another section of cambered switchbacks and "S" turns...
26. Amazing!
27. And we are getting towards the end of the track, but still have a few more turns to go. This particular section is another one that will favor the locals, as it gets incredibly rough.
28. With one final downhill and straight away before hitting the uphill finish line tabletop.