Fredrik Lindgren wins the Olympique

Fans' darling Fredrik Lindgren rose from the shale to win one of the most dramatic Olympiques ever staged.

The Swede's chances of a third successive victory appeared to have bitten the dust when he crashed out in pursuit of Scott Nicholls in heat 10.

But, as Nicholls and Chris Harris shed crucial points, Lindgren worked his way back into contention to the delight of last night's big crowd.

Even then he had to win his final race just to force a run-off with the flying Harris, as Wolves fans had all but given up on their man who trailed exciting prospect Kevin Wolbert in the final lap.

But Lindgren, whose exploits at Monmore Green render the extraordinary commonplace, delivered again, finally going wide enough to generate sufficient pace to hare past down the back straight.

After that, there was only going to be one winner in the run-off. Lindgren made a textbook start, laser straight without a hint of lift or wheelspin, to take the advantage and swept well clear.

It tells you all you need to know about the reputation of Harris around Monmore Green that Lindgren thrashed round at top speed for the full four laps, not daring to spare even a glance behind for the whereabouts of his rival and recording the fastest time for 17 heats.

Actually, if Lindgren had to fall, he picked the right heat in which to do it.

The Banks's Olympique handicap formula crucially put him at the gate in his following crunch race with Tai Woffinden 10 metres adrift, Harris a further five behind and the luckless Ty Proctor already facing the back wheels of this high-powered line-up from the 20-metre mark.

Lindgren duly headed into the distance but all eyes were on Woffinden , who held off Harris by about the width of a wheel rim in the charge to the line.

Completing the rostrum in the same order as last year was Nicholls. He, too, gained the spot in a run-off as the forceful Ryan Fisher's cutback off the second bend didn't gain quite enough momentum to get him past the Ipswich star.

Nicholls' Achilles heel proved to be heat 14, where he was unable to overcome the handicap against the determined Ludvig Lindgren and finished third.

Wolbert, meanwhile, took a fine victory courtesy of a fence-scraping last lap and gave those who like to speculate about next season's team line-up plenty of food for thought.

On a night when seven different riders went into their final outing with a genuine chance of overall victory, Matt Wethers impressed and club legend Peter Karlsson took a popular race win in heat 16.

Of the young prospects blooded, Niklas Porsing struggled to make an impact, while Slawomir Musielak high-sided on the first turn in his opening race.

The Pole had made a cracking gate but retired in his second outing and took no further part. Lindgren's taste of shale had a rather happier outcome.

On a lighter note, two Americans were left battling for the unwanted title of hottest man at Monmore Green last night.

Veteran rider Eddie Castro, the meeting reserve, was called on to ride five times in eight heats, including three on the trot - at the age of 51.

And the man who spent more than two hours inside the sponsor's all-enveloping 'pint of Banks's' suit as racing went on without an interval was revealed afterwards as mechanic Merle Craven.

By Tim Hamblin