FROM a Formula One car driven by a legend of the sport to monster trucks on the beach, hundreds of thousands of people enjoyed the sights, sounds and smells of Bournemouth Wheels Festival.

The first-ever event went down a storm, both with those with petrol flowing through their veins and those simply looking for a good day out.

It might be a bit of a cliché, but there truly was something for everyone.

Up on the East Overcliff, some of the world’s most valuable – and indeed priceless – cars and motorbikes were on show.

But they weren’t just pottering along, the closed-off road gave their drivers the chance to really show off what they could do.

From this year’s Jaguar F-Type Coupe to the extreme Ferrari Enzo and a near-priceless Ford GT40 Le Mans car, anyone with a love for cars and motorsport was in heaven.

The sight of Formula One cars such as Michael Schumacher’s 1992 Benetton screaming along the Overcliff will be one that will last long in the memory for many.

Down on the seafront, the Poole-based Excite Rallye Raid team gave a glimpse of what their Dakar Rally cars were capable of, getting wheels off the ground and churning up the sand to the delight of the crowds.

Along the beach, the monster trucks were also getting airborne, crushing cars along their way and leaping off ramps made from sand.

At Pier Approach Team Extreme showed you didn’t need an engine to put on a performance – with BMX riders, skaters and skateboarders wowing spectactors with tricks and skills.

There was also a chance to get involved with many activities, from wheelchair sports to driving a mini-tank on the beach, as well as checking out displays of supercars and vintage cars on the proms, at the Pavilion and inside the BIC.

But one of the highlights of the weekend must have been the daring shows from motorbike team FMX, who, alongside their stunning jumps over the pier, drew some of the biggest crowds of the weekend.

Participants gave the events a big thumbs-up.

Dan Whitby, part of the FMX team and the man to jump over the pier for the first time ever, said he was “having a great time”.

“Everyone’s been so accommodating, and the weather’s been pretty good,” he added.

His team mate, Emma McFerran, is Australia’s first female FMX rider.

“It’s been awesome,” she said.

John Hardy, principal of the Excite Rallye Raid team, added: “The weather has held out for us and brought the crowds out, we had a lot of people and a lot of interest in the cars.

“The driving on the beach has been very good.

“People walking along the prom have been saying how good it was.

“The air festival has worked really well for the town and the area and businesses and I’m sure that the Wheels Festival can grow and become as big as the air festival.”