So the Bentleys came home seventh and eighth at Monza, a great result at its debut event. Every member of the garage was in an ebullient mood at the race finish, suggesting they had exceeded initial expectations. Having chatted with Andy Meyrick prior to the race, his season ambition of podium finishes seems eminently achievable.
Seventh and eighth a great debut for Bentley
The Bentleys are quick and reliable out of the box, which is a great basis to build on. How will M-Sport's rallying expertise transfer to GT racing? It promises to be a great season for fans. If you can tolerate some rather dull commentary, this highlights video shows just the kind of action 2014 should provide.
Anyway, the strongest impression left behind from an amazing weekend was just how engrossing the actual racing was. Of course the experience was enhanced by the sunshine, a first Monza visit and some rather exceptional transport but the abiding memory will be of great motorsport. Even without the Italian sunshine and convertible Continentals. Really.
So much so, in fact, that I've been looking into ticket prices for the next round at Silverstone. It's all very easy to have great weekend as a freeloading hack, but what about as a proper paying member of the public? With Sunday tickets just £20, I'm very tempted to find out. And if you need to justify a day of GT racing as a family day out, kids under 15 can go free. Don't forget the Dream Drive on the way up also...
For archived previous instalments to the liveblog click here.