Mallory Park [ Sep 2007 ]

Mallory Park track day, September 2007

Mallory Park, in Leicestershire, is a short, historic circuit set in parkland around a lake, and has hosted motorcycle racing for decades. Its compact lap makes it a busy but friendly venue for club racing and track days, with spectators close to the action all the way round.

The defining corner is Gerards, a very long, fast right-hander that seems to go on forever and tests a rider's patience and confidence in front grip. The lap is completed by a tight hairpin and the tricky Devil's Elbow, so the circuit asks for very different skills within a short distance.

Mallory is a great place to learn to hold a consistent lean angle and to trust the tyres through a long corner. Those skills carry over to every other track, which is why so many riders still rate it as a place to learn. The short lap also means plenty of laps per session, which is ideal for practising one skill at a time and seeing the improvement straight away.

Mallory's parkland setting also makes it one of the most pleasant venues to spend a day at, with a relaxed paddock and a lake that sits inside the circuit. It is a reminder of the classic British short circuits where many riders first learned to ride on track.