Swindon 51 Wolverhampton 45 

Robins' take their first home win

SWINDON registered their first home victory of the season courtesy of a hard-fought 6-point success over reigning Elite League Champions, Wolverhampton.

The eventual margin of victory means Ronnie Russell’s side gained two elite league points, whilst Wolverhampton courtesy of a concluding heat 5-1, took a solitary point from the encounter.

 

In a thoroughly entertaining affair on a well prepared race strip, the two sides exchanged blows throughout. The Robins started strongly and boasted a ten point advantage after four races.

 

A tactical ride from Wolverhampton’s Freddie Lindgren in race five temporarily halted Swindon’s charge but the Robins once again picked up the pace in the middle stages to amass a thirteen point lead.

 

However, an 8-1 from Wolverhampton in heat eleven prompted a resurgence from Peter Adams’ side who went on to cut Swindon’s lead to six points.

 

The Wolves duo of Fredrik Lindgren and Ty Proctor combined in the opening race to earn the visiting side an early 2-point advantage. Robins’ skipper Leigh Adams demonstrated plenty of pace throughout, but was unable to forge a route past Lindgren out front.

A Swindon 5-1 in heat two overturned Wolverhampton’s early lead and handed Ronnie Russell’s septet a 2-point lead of their own. Thomas H. Jonasson romped to an untroubled win whilst team-mate Cory Gathercole rode well to repel an early race charge from British youngster Joe Haines.

Simon Stead and Grzegorz Zengota conjured super-fast starts in race three and eased to an untroubled 5-1 to propel Swindon 6 points ahead. Both Robins displayed impressive speed, as they quickly pulled away from Wolverhampton’s Joe Screen and Nicolai Klindt.

 

A stunning heat four quickly ensued as Swindon notched their third 5-1 on the bounce, courtesy of a fantastically acquired one-two finish from Mads Korneliussen and Jonasson. Wolves’ Tai Woffinden held the lead initially, but an audacious first lap, second bend swoop from Korneliussen saw the Dane hit the front.

Jonasson then reeled in Woffinden and pulled alongside the visiting captain on the back straight of the second lap, before roaring around the outside of the British youngster. It was a terrific piece of speedway that invoked the traditional Blunsdon roar from the Abbey Stadium faithful.

Wolverhampton chief Peter Adams nominated Fredrik Lindgren for a tactical ride in race five and the Swedish international certainly maximised the opportunity by romping to a comfortable victory. Further back, Stead rode intelligently to halt a persistent charge from Proctor who, despite flirting with Blunsdon’s wider outpost, was unable to find a route past. The resultant 6-3 in Wolverhampton’s favour cut Swindon’s lead to a 7-point margin.

 

Adams overcame Woffinden in the mid-stages of heat six, as Swindon notched a 4-2. The legendary Aussie roared underneath Woffinden to gain the ascendancy, whilst Morten Risager’s third-place finish ensured a Robins’ advantage.

An eventful heat seven was jam-packed with top-notch speedway, featuring an array of passing throughout. Up front, Korneliussen and Joe Screen indulged in a fantastic scrap that saw the two leg-trailers trade places throughout. It was Korneliussen who eventually collected all three points courtesy of a brave first bend pass. Further back, Gathercole and Klindt also provided plenty of entertainment, with the young Dane eventually retiring on the third lap due to an engine failure.

Swindon looked to be heading for a 5-1 in heat eight with Risager and Jonasson leading the pack. However, under pressure from Wolverhampton’s hard-charging Proctor, the Swede fell on bend three of the final lap, but thankfully escaped from the tumble unscathed.

 

Woffinden registered victory in race nine despite coming under intense pressure from the Robins’ duo of Zengota and Stead. The Swindon pairing showed great speed, but weren’t able to engineer a route past the Scunthorpe-born rider who held on for victory.

Adams and Risager registered a heat ten 4-2, which saw Wolverhampton’s Klindt provide plenty of action as the sandwich filling.

Wolves’ Proctor was nominated for a tactical in the eleventh heat and the Australian didn’t disappoint the Wolves’ faithful. Partnered by Fredrik Lindgren, he made a sublime start and was shielded thereafter by his skipper, who snuffed out the challenge of Korneliussen. The resultant 8-1in Wolves’ favour narrowed Swindon’s advantage to 6 points.

A barnstorming ride from Wolverhampton’s Klindt in heat twelve saw the Dane recover from a slow start to charge through the field as the race progressed. Indeed, he chased down Jonasson and rode underneath the Swede at the conclusion of third lap to earn a point-share.

A crackerjack heat thirteen produced another 3-3, with Adams registering a comfortable tapes-to-flag victory over Fredrik Lindgren, whilst Korneliussen tried tenaciously to pass Woffinden.

A penultimate race 5-1 from Stead and Jonasson moved the Robins into a 10-point lead. The Robins’ pairing led from the outset and fazed out the Wolverhampton challenge in the early stages.

However, a Wolverhampton 5-1 in the concluding race ensured the West Midlands side slashed Swindon’s lead to six and therefore took a solitary league point from the encounter. Freddie Lindgren and Tai Woffinden team-rode effectively to halt a hard charging Leigh Adams whilst Simon Stead fell on the first corner of the final lap.

 

It was a dramatic conclusion to what had been a thoroughly absorbing evening of Elite league action.

photos by Ian Lewis