Wolves look to hit the heights in season opener

Wolves are out to scale the speedway heights as they start their 2011 season tonight — after a team bonding day of indoor rock climbing.

The Monmore Green side will be hoping for a peak performance as they travel to Birmingham for the first leg of the BBC WM Trophy (7.30pm).

It's the first top-flight clash between the sides for 28 years and skipper Peter Karlsson believes that yesterday's fun day at Wolverhampton's imposing Wolf Mountain centre in Paget Road can only benefit the team.

"It's relaxing. It does a lot," he said. "We don't get too much time together away from the track during the season.

"I think it's pretty important to get to know each other, with a couple of new guys."

The rangy Karlsson and agile Tai Woffinden were the most impressive performers on the walls, but the Swede came into his own in the archery arena.

His fellow countryman Fredrik Lindgren dropped just two points in the individual competition and looked the likely winner, only for the ultra-competitive Karlsson to bury three successive shots into the gold and snatch the crown.

"I like to win," he said simply. "I was worse when I was younger!"

The 41-year-old will take those instincts onto the track tonight and dismissed suggestions that the two-leg event — the return is at Monmore on Monday — is little more than a warm-up for the serious Elite League business.

"We want to win both legs," he declared. "At the end of the day we're at the tapes and it's a competition.

"I want to win. I'm sure the other guys will be the same. Let's hope it's a good turnout and good speedway."

New American pair Ricky Wells and Tyson Burmeister make their debuts for Wolves in the reserve slots.

Brummies boss Graham Drury said: "It's going to be a tough meeting because we have seven riders who have never raced together before so we don't know what we are going to get."

Birmingham (probable order): 1 Krzysztof Kasprzak, 2 Ales Dryml, 3 Ben Barker, 4 Daniel Nermark, 5 Danny King, 6 James Wright, 7 Claus Vissing.

Wolves: 1 Fredrik Lindgren, 2 Ludvig Lindgren, 3 Ty Proctor, 4 Tai Woffinden, 5 Peter Karlsson, 6 Tyson Burmeister, 7 Ricky Wells.