The summer's first day of hot sunshine beamed down on the crowds that gathered to witness the superbikes speed around the snaking racetrack at Mondello Park last Sunday. Spectators languorously basked in the heat as they adorned every available space along the outer edges of the track to catch a glimpse through the wire fence of the freight train of riders.
Amid the noisy din of the superbike engines, punctuated by the British accented commentary of Larry Carter and Fred Clarke, and the wafting odours from the burger and chip vans, the atmosphere was revved up for a third year of Round 5 of the Bennetts British Superbike Championships (BSB) at Mondello Park.
"It's so good to be here," said Dessie O'Neill. It was his first time at the BSB, and Dessie, from Tyrone, was enjoying every minute of it: "The atmosphere is great and the hospitality is brilliant." Steve Hewitt travelled from Lincoln in England to watch round 5. "I travelled over especially because I enjoyed it so much last year, and I think it's spot-on," he remarked.
Louth-based Japanese HM Plant Honda rider Ryuichi Kiyonari took the victory in the first superbike race. He led throughout the race, leaving Michael Rutter to take second place, and Airwaves Ducati's Gregorio Lavilla taking the third place spot after making a poor start in the race.
But Spanish rider Lavilla went on to take the lead in the second superbike race leaving his team-mate Leon Haslam, who led for most of the race, in second place and Ryuichi Kiyonari in third position.
Rutter settled for fifth place in the second race, but the HM Plant Honda rider still leads the championships after his performance at Mondello with an impressive 46-point lead.
In the Supercup races, Chris Martin and Danny Beaumont took the victories, but James Buckingham battled it out taking a third and second place in both races. He now holds the lead in the title stakes.
Spectator Sean Stevens enjoyed the racing, but added that: "There could've been some entertainment for the crowds before the racing began, like a flyover from the aircraft at nearby Baldonnel."
But Sean had to make do with the grid girls who entertained the crowd by strolling around in their barely-there outfits handing out flyers and smiling at the male spectators. "At least they're not cold in their skimpy skirts," noted Dessie O'Neill.
According to Brian Malloy from Mayo, "There's definitely a bigger crowd here this year than there was last year, and it's amazing that we got the first good sunny day of the summer, we're blessed with the weather."
The weather certainly plays a big factor in the success of the event, according to John Fair, sales and marketing manager of Mondello.
"It was a super day and the good weather really made it. If it was raining I don't think as many riders would travel down from Northern Ireland for the event," he believed.
This year marked the final year Mondello would be hosting the event but, according to John Fair, "We'll certainly be putting in another application to get it again. We are in the process of trying to put forward another deal with Fáilte Ireland to host the event because it's a huge success and a great boost for the economy.
"Crowd numbers were up this year, with 25,000 to 30,000 people attending the weekend's racing and the feedback from the crowds was great. It's such a great buzz and a high octane event," concluded Fair.