It was the same cut-and-thrust action at Manfeild, with Wellington's defending series champion Sloan Frost, Whakatane's multi-national champion Tony Rees, Glen Eden's Daniel Mettam, Taupo's Scott Moir, Manukau's Toby Summers, Horst Saiger, New Plymouth's Hayden Fitzgerald and Waimauku's Ray Clee, along with many others, locked in thrilling high-speed battles for every centimetre of tar seal.
But it will not be until the engines are shut off at Whanganui late on Boxing Day that a series champion can be crowned or the winner of the cherished Robert Holden Memorial trophy will be revealed.
Dunlop is a major attraction for the upcoming street racing on Whanganui's famous Cemetery Circuit, although he's quick to downplay his chances of winning on his debut there.
"I'm under no illusion as to how quick these riders in New Zealand are. There's horses for courses and I don't do a lot of short circuit races. I don't think I'm going to come here and easily beat people."
Dunlop was the first rider in the history of the Isle of Man TT to achieve a lap of the course in under 17 minutes.
He is a true superstar of the sport and has been described as the best street road-racer in the world, with a total of 22 TT podiums to his credit.
A 13-time winner around the Isle of Man, the 27-year-old Dunlop is the current solo-machine lap record holder for the mountain course around the Isle of Man, set during the 2016 Senior TT in June, circulating in a hot time of 16 minutes 53.929 seconds, at an average speed of 215.591km/h.
Widely regarded as one of the most tenacious competitors in motorcycle racing, Dunlop's aggressive style has endeared himself to fans over the years and his appearance at Whanganui will surely add numbers to his massive fan base.
"Hopefully I'm a fast learner," said Dunlop.
"From what I can gather there's only something like six or seven corners at Whanganui, with a 49- or 50-second lap time, so hopefully it won't take me too long to sort out where I'm going.
"I've been in the country only a short while now and I've already driven a couple of thousand kilometres. I've been fortunate to get this opportunity to come out here, so I want to see as much of New Zealand as I can while I'm here."
For 20-year-old Flitcroft, also on debut in New Zealand this summer, the trip is a massive learning experience.
It seemed quite natural that Flitcroft would one day become a superbike rider after spending much of his childhood living in Spain and travelling to superbike events with his father, a race team manager.
"I decided to come over to New Zealand for two months and see what developed.
"I'm here to learn as much as I can. The circuits are quite tight here and I'm always getting sideways on the bike, but I am enjoying it."
