Gino's a real Rea of sunshine

It was a fantastic result and I for one was delighted. It's not like he's a friend or anything, I've rarely even written about him previous to this but I have to admit that I'm a bit of a fan.

But why? What is it about this kid that sets him apart from the rest?

In my job I see up and coming riders week in week out. Many dominate everything they do while others are slower burners who eventually come good.

On top of that, there's the likeability factor. Different people like different things. I like a rider or driver with a spark not only on the track, but also off it...and I believe in Gino's case he has both - in abundance.

Sunday's race had the potential to fall flat for the Brits after favourite Sam Lowes retired with clutch problems and James Ellison was also hit by mechanical gremlins which later forced him to pull into the garage.

But when all seemed lost for the UK fans, in came Gino to bring his bike home in third behind Chaz Davies. Davies may have been first Brit home, but it was Rea who got the biggest cheer both at the podium and the post-race press conference.

He was the first to admit that he had been lucky with the result, but also described it as a tough race which came after a weekend of ups and downs.

And what was great for everyone was seeing his huge big smile as he jumped onto the podium. That's the likeable thing about Rea, he's a guy who is always laughing and when he's ecstatic, he shares it with the world.

So today I'm mostly being a Gino fan....well, I am a self-confessed Biaggi-Muppet remember - and after a day like Sunday, we Muppets need to seek solace somewhere!