As you exit Black Dub, you're heading slightly uphill into the first of two left handers which look very similar. Don't get them confused as the first is more or less flat out and the second one isn't! Come back 2 gears to 4th (I think) for the second left hander and pull the bike in tight to the apex. As you exit the bend look for the wall on the right and aim to tuck your shoulder in under it – this right hander is the entry to Glen Helen proper. Come back to 3rd gear and then look for the sweeping left hander opposite the pub car park.

The left hander opposite the car park at Glen Helen is a tightish corner but you can’t afford to let the bike run out wide as you head off up the hill. The camber of the road is very severe and if you cross too far over the crown of the road you can easily be sucked into the gutter as the camber accentuates your lean angle. The exit of Glen Helen is a common place for lowside crashes as over-enthusiastic riders try to get back on the gas too soon as they drift over the crown of the road and the back tyre lets go as it unloads. By keeping a tight line around the left hand corner opposite the pub, you’re in a good position to drive hard up the hill towards Sarah’s Cottage. There’s a big tree just to the left of the cottage and this is what you aim for.

The entry into Sarah's Cottage is a late apex corner and you need to get tight to the apex. Don't use all the road on the exit as this takes you too wide to make the next apex as you head off up the hill. It's difficult to remember all the apexes as you climb up the hill as it's very steep, shrouded by trees and deceptively quick. Creg Willies Hill is a steep climb so don’t back off the throttle at all or you’ll lose loads of time. By the time you reach the top of the hill you’ll be in 5th gear so you can just hook 6th to kill the wheelie as you cross the crest leading onto Cronk-y-Voddy Straight.

This section was resurfaced in the late-90’s and is still fairly smooth. Years ago it had a reputation for being incredibly bumpy but those days are long gone. The authorities go to great lengths to maintain, repair and improve the general condition of the circuit. At the far end of Cronk-y-Voddy, just after the crossroads (- it’s actually signposted as Little London) is an absolutely fearsome corner. Just after the crossroads the road goes slightly uphill and over a right handed crest. You need to aim for the angled, black-and-white kerbstones on the corner entry and get your knee dangling over them (- in much the same way as Ballagarey). It takes me at least 3 or 4 practice sessions to get this one right but it's another one of the big corners where backing off loses loads of time.

After the crest the road falls away just as you're trying to get the bike upright and pointed in the right direction. In flat calm conditions on a sunny day, it's possible to do this corner in 6th on a 600 or even a 750. However, you end up running really close to the grass banking on the exit and you need to be on the power to control the bike and tighten the line. At the same time, the bike wants to wheelie as there's a small crest in the road that throws the front wheel in the air. All told, it's a very fine juggling act with the throttle, lean angle and the correct line through the corner.

If you get it right, you can hang onto 6th gear and carry all the speed from the Cronk-y-Voddy down into the 11th Milestone. The first right hander can be done in 6th gear but you'll need to come back 2 gears to 4th for the second right hander, give the brakes a quick dab and then pick the bike up and throw it into the next left hander (Drinkwater's Bend?) and get on the gas. The left hander is actually a double apex with the second apex just after a gate on the left.

You can now drive hard down towards Handley's Corner, hopefully carrying all the speed you maintained through the 11th Milestone section. (Lots of sections between the 11th Milestone and Kirk Michael have been resurfaced in recent years, most recently in summer 2006, with tar and chip. The surface is fairly grippy and there aren’t too many nasty bumps to look out for). Handley's is a fast left-right esse which looks a lot more intimidating than it really is. Obviously you don't want to go messing with any of the scenery, but the big wall on the right that characterises the bend is very easy to spot. There's also a small grating in the road that is painted bright yellow and serves as a useful corner entry marker. As you change direction in the middle of the bend, you're crossing the camber of the road and the bike can sometimes be unsettled by this. Keep a tight line on the exit and feed the power in rather than just banging the throttle open.  It’s really important not to drive out of Handley’s too enthusiastically – there’s a small yellow grating a couple of feet to the right of the white line on the exit and you should aim to drive over it. Try to keep more or less in the middle of the road as you can easily get sucked over to the left hand verge and that’s no place to be. It also leaves you in the wrong position for the following left hander.

The next section of bends towards the top of Barregarrow are extremely quick – you can pretty much ride them as you see them. A useful video to watch is Nigel 'Cap' Davies chasing Joey Dunlop through here in the 2000 Formula One TT– Davies' R1 was a faster bike than Dunlop's VTR1000 but he couldn't keep up. Joey's line was a bit unconventional but VERY smooth and VERY fast indeed. It doesn't look like the obvious race line but I've tried it and it seems quicker.

As you come round the last right hander before the top of Barregarrow, come back to 5th and feather the brakes. Aim for the grass banking by the chapel on the left and DRIVE into the turn on a positive throttle. Sometimes the bike feels like it just wants to continue going left, even as the road straightens out and you're going down the hill so you really have to heave it upright! Nick Jefferies & Ian Hutchinson both said they came back to 5th for the top of Barregarrow. After that you can hook 6th on the run down the hill but you’ll definitely need to come back a gear to 5th for the dip at the bottom. Just as you hit the dip, turn the power on to take the weight off the forks and stop it slapping.

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