At 5.45pm it looked like we'd be racing with one bunch on the track as riders questioned the merits of riding in hot weather, but by race time we had 19 riders ready to launch.
A-grade
Brothers Neville and Kevin Laffy set off against Max Trewhella and Josh Thomson over 30 mins + 3 laps.
Aggressive as ever, Max was soon on the front, stretching the bunch from the outset.
By mid-race, the pace seemed to have steadied, and the bunch stayed comfortably together.
Into the final lap it was Max and Josh who broke clear, would Max be able to hold off the track sensation Josh?
As they neared the line, it was Max who held a narrow lead across the line for the win from Josh, with Neville Laffy in 3rd.
B-grade
Nick Woods smoothly slipped into B-grade with his mini camera.
Fortunately, with the recent social media bans, no children will see the 30 minutes of vision of the rider in front's derrière.
Scott Moller, Bryce Denham, Francis Lias, Cam Smith and John Brian seemed very evenly matched with Will Kettle and Neil Thomson keen to jump in to test themselves.
After 10 minutes, Will had boiled dry and Neil too was off the back.
Strong attacks by Cam Smith aimed to break up the group, but all stayed together until the final lap.
Sprinters Bryce and Scott pulled away and hit the line together, with Scott getting the chocolates from Bryce, and Francis Lias in 3rd.
C-grade
Neil and Will jumped back into C-grade and joined Mel Smolenaars, Matt Dobeli and Billy Sutton over 25 mins + 3 laps.
After a few quick laps to start, the pace slackened, with the sprinters in the group eyeing a final lap showdown.
Approaching the start/finish line, it was Matt who blinked first and surged, hoping to catch the fast men off guard.
Through the final corner with a small gap, Neil and Billy slipped past late, with Neil taking the win from Billy with Matt in 3rd.
D-grade
A small, but strong group in D-grade with recent race winners Neil Ennis, Dave Oman and Dave Menzies joining Jerrod Davison for 20 mins + 3 laps.
As has been the way with D-grade racing, a strong but steady pace was held throughout, stretching the stamina of the riders as the race progressed.
Approaching the final lap, it was anyone's race, with the four riders bunched tightly.
Down the back straight, it was Dave Menzies making his move and crossing the finish line with a strong sprint from Neil Ennis and Jerrod Davison in 3rd.
Thanks to race director H, and prize sponsor The Port Ice Creamery.
22°C