The world literally turned on its head for Mike Murphy early yesterday morning when his 602cc Citroen 2CV racing car flipped over on its side as he tried to negotiate a tight right-hand corner.
No, this was not the RTE broadcaster, but a Surrey driver competing at Ireland's answer to Le Mans: the annual 24-Hour 2CV Motor Race held at Mondello Park, Co Kildare.
Yet this minor mishap was not going to stop car number 40; a bit of sticky tape here and a few nuts and bolts there and it was back on the track.
"The safety car probably did more laps than us but sure it's great crack," said the irrepressible Mr Murphy. He picked up the "spirit of the meeting" award, which went some way to taking the sting out of his bruises.
This never-say-die attitude summed up the mood among competitors. Oil-stained and baggy-eyed drivers fought with their cars, many of which resembled something out of a demolition derby.
Incredibly, only three cars have failed to finish in 10 years of racing at Mondello. But there were tears of frustration from the ECAS 2CV team yesterday when their car in second place suffered mechanical problems with only minutes to go.
In a bizarre twist they dispatched an engineer on a bike with spare parts to resuscitate the car, but managed only to be disqualified in the process. Luckily, their other car swept past to take second place anyway.
This year there was one Belgian entrant among the many Irish, English and Scottish competitors. Two all-woman teams made their mark: Top Tottie from England came in fifth, while the Irish entrant Bird Power came in 26th and managed to raise £4,000 for charity in the process.
Many of these motor-racing enthusiasts spend small fortunes on their hobbies. But not surprisingly it was the Australian professional, Alan Gow of the Norry Taylor team, who crossed the line to pick up the coveted glass trophy yesterday after five years' trying.
The current boss of the British Touring Car series, Alan Gow drove a car titled Le Shark with three other drivers. In a hint to Irish motor-racing fans he said, "Keep your eyes on Mondello in a week's time".
Could we see a stage of the British Touring Car championship in Mondello? Now, that would please the Mondello faithful.