Clean sweep for Karlsson

The Swede was untouchable, recording an extraordinary five-race clean sweep to take his first victory in the event since 2000, writes Tim Hamblin.

It was a performance that sent the statisticians scurrying to the record books. Even promoter Chris Van Straaten, recalling the palmy days of multi-world champion Ole Olsen's victories from 30 years or so ago, could not remember the unique handicap event being won with a maximum.

While the great Dane represents Wolves' glorious past the club chose Monday's staging to announce the signing of one for the future in 16-year-old hotshot Tai Woffinden.

But it's Karlsson who stands for the present, and while Van Straaten remains his usual close-lipped self about 2007 team building it's surely inconceivable that his captain will not be the first name onto the sheet.

The handicap system that sees riders penalised at the start by a distance dependent on the points gained from their last ride renders a 15-point tally all but unattainable.

Thankfully nobody mentioned that to Karlsson, whose knee ligament problems were aided by a smooth Monmore surface and who followed up his opening race victory with four wins from the back mark.

In heat five he picked off William Lawson going into the first turn before later switching under Danish hopeful Claus Vissing and then finding a sublime line to overhaul Billy Hamill in a "where did he come from?" pass.

Next time out Karlsson was fortunate to find main rival Freddie Lindgren alongside him on the grid, both managing to make up the 5m ground required on the consistent Christian Hefenbrock but with the skipper taking the flag.

Neither Daniel Nermark, who enhanced his claims for a 2007 team spot with a sound night's racing including two victories, nor reserve Jack Hargreaves could resist Karlsson in heat 15.

But Edinburgh's Theo Pijper, a fine replacement for the injured Mark Loram, looked set to lower the Swede's colours - until the last turn when Karlsson found an extraordinary turn of speed to go through.

Defending champion Lindgren's dozen-point tally in the runner-up slot left Karlsson needing only to finish third in his final race to take the crown following Chris Kerr's exclusion.

But after he picked off the promising hopeful Ricky Kling you wouldn't have found a single spectator in the big crowd willing to back leader Adam Shields, 20m advantage from the tapes or not.

And so it proved - high, high on the last bend boards, a thrilling swoop to the line and this least demonstrative of riders actually removing his crash helmet on a lap of honour to salute the throng.

While Lindgren was a clear claimant to the runner-up spot, third place went right to the wire with a three-man run-off.

David Howe, another former Olympique champion, was performing under the eye of potential sponsors and can have done his chances no harm with an assured night's trackcraft which featured the smoothest of runs inside Lewis Bridger and Kenneth Hansen in his first ride.

But in the run-off both Howe and Hefenbrock had to give best to Pijper who rounded off an excellent night with a win from the gate.