Tragedy affects speedway match

The ageless Peter Karlsson led Wolves to three welcome Elite League points on a night when superb on-track action was overshadowed by off-track tragedy.

American reserve Tyson Burmeister took his place in the team just hours after learning of the sudden death in the States of his father, former rider Tom.

Burmeister gave his customary committed performance, prising out a brace of third places early on and getting up for the re-run of heat 14 after tangling with Piotr Swiderski on the run to the first corner, both riders falling.

Wolves were already without fellow American Ricky Wells, riding for his nation's under-21 team in Ukraine, and would have struggled to field a replacement last night.

They were also running rider-replacement for the injured Tai Woffinden, yet ironically did not drop a single point from the cover rides.

Karlsson went through the card in spectacular fashion with a six-ride maximum. Having taken a five-ride full house in the away fixture, he must wish the Hammers formed the opposition every week.

The 41-year-old showed all his hallmarks of predatory gating, speed on the wide line and uncanny spatial awareness.

His skills were never better demonstrated than in his opening race when a first bend error left him last.

Yet before the final lap had even started the skipper had hit the front, running under the admirable Stuart Robson coming out of the fourth turn and then executing his trademark pits bend exit to work his way smoothly past Peter Ljung.

Karlsson, stamping his class on proceedings, had three wins over Lakeside No 1 Lee Richardson, most notably in heat 11 where they ran side by side down the back straight.

The visitor eased Karlsson legitimately out towards the fourth bend fence only to be undone by the sharpest of cutbacks into the home straight.

Wolves, with Fredrik Lindgren dropping his only points to Richardson in heat 13, reeled off race winners in all but three of the heats.

But the visitors, who accrued an extra five points from tactical rides, were still in with a sniff of a point at seven down with two to go.

Things looked bleak when Robson and Swiderski hit the front but Ludvig Lindgren found a superb turn of speed to go from fourth to first and managed to defend his lead to the line.

Karlsson and the elder Lindgren then finished in the grand manner with a dominant last-heat 5-1.

The racing was arguably the best of the season with Robson, who took all three of the visitors' heat wins, always in the thick of it.

His clash with Ty Proctor in heat eight would have graced any highlights package but the same two riders promptly overshadowed even that display two races later as they thundered round wheel to wheel.

Robson - just - got the verdict on both occasions. But each had raced to his utmost.

By Tim Hamblin