No loyalty clash for Karlsson

The youngest Karlsson brother was caught in the middle last season when a rearranged Wolves match at Oxford fell on the same night as a fixture for his new Swedish club, Valsarna.

The 25-year-old, under pressure from SVEMO, the sport's governing body in Sweden, chose his home country - and suffered a one-match Wolves suspension.

But Wolves promoter Chris Van Straaten, on behalf of the British Speedway Promoters Association, has since had clarifying talks with SVEMO. Van Straaten will have the Swedish fixtures to hand when sorting out Parrys International Wolves matches.

And he has established that British dates have priority unless they are rearranged matches.

"Now they've got clear rules where I'm going to ride and when I'm going to ride," said a relieved Karlsson, who signed up this week for the 2007 campaign along with elder brother Peter and Freddie Lindgren.

"So there shouldn't be any problems there next season.

"I wanted to go back somewhere (to Britain) and I've ended up back at Wolves, which is good. I'm looking forward to it."

Karlsson found the going tough last season, only picking up his form in the latter stages when down at reserve.

Impending parenthood didn't help - he became a father for the first time in October - and neither did a lack of top-class machinery.

He will start 2007 in the main body of the team, and Van Straaten admitted that the offer of a top five place "wasn't the easiest decision".

But the Swedish rider showed when mounted on brother Peter's equipment that he has the ability to make it in the Elite League. And he confirmed that his new contract involved an advance payment for machinery.

"We had the baby and I think a lot of pressure went away," he said of the 2006 season's final weeks. Then I got on that good engine and it worked well.

"If I ride like I did in the last two meetings it shouldn't be a problem."

Karlsson joins Peter, Lindgren, Billy Hamill and David Howe in the top five with Theo Pijper at reserve.

William Lawson is being lined up to repeat his doubling-up role from last year and Wolves are also pursuing an English rider - thought to be Rye House's Steve Boxall - to share the spot with the Scot.