Gillett's inclusion certainly spiced up the Agrade race as he sparked an early breakaway with Paul Anders and Brett Hickford, two experienced riders who can handle the effort required for a successful breakaway.

The trio set about lapping and passing the bunch, and would end up arguing over podium positions.

But it was Hickford, a 42-year-old Sunshine resident, who upstaged Gillett in a sprint to the finish.

"I thought Rhys might hit us at the end," Hickford said.

"I got onto his wheel in the last lap, jumped him at the end and managed to hold him off."

Arron Liley pulled off a shock in winning the Bgrade race.

The newly promoted rider from Tarneit has contested a handful of races at the level, but this was the first time he's lasted the duration.

"I took the advice of some more experienced riders on how to get to the end of the race, just to survive," Liley said.

"Towards the end I just lunged as hard as I could and won by a few centimetres."

Rod Nesbitt took the Cgrade race in a sprint from Andrew Galliano and will step up to Bgrade next edition.

The most drama came at the climax of the Dgrade stoush when race commissaire Mark Zanatta could not separate the first two riders, Dean MacLennan and Mark Defraitas. After a video review, a dead heat was awarded.

In Thursday night racing, Shannon Johnson convincingly won a sprint from Dom Dudkiewicz in the Agrade race.

Johnson, a former motorbike racer, was the 2011 Melbourne to Ballarat and 2012 Bay Crits Individual Support Series winner.