Post by wolfgang on Aug 22, 2006 6:55:49 GMT
Wolverhampton 54 v 40 Arena-Essex, ELB, Monday 21st August
The bonus was up for grabs with Wolves already 4 points ahead. Rider replacement for Christian (dizziness) and Hurry (doziness arm injury).
Heat 1. P Karlsson, Correy, Messing, Lanham. 56.13. 5-1. 5-1
Peter gated but Ronnie was last going into the first bend. He kept it tight and picked off first Lanham on the second bend, and then Messing on the back straight going into the third bend. As the Wolves duo pulled clear, Messing got into a bit of a, er, mess on lap two going into the back straight, causing both he and Lanham to drop further behind. A good start, and nice to see PK winning heat 1 again.
Heat 2. M Karlsson, Messing, Bager, Wilson. 57.93. 3-3. 8-4.
Both Wolves gated but Bager burrowed past Wilson on the second bend. Messing didn't, er, mess about this time and followed Bager through the hole. Not content with third, Messing pulled off an impressive but unnecessary outside pass of his partner down theback straight on lap 4.
Heat 3. Max, Hamill, Johnston, Correy. 56.96. 2-4. 10-8.
Max gated as sharply as he ever did and cruised around for the win looking as classy as in his Wolves days. Johnston briefly nosed ahead of Billy coming off the second bend, but Hamill had more speed down the straight. Ronnie put Johnston under some pressure on laps two and three, but had to avoid getting too close on the first bend of lap four and lost ground.
Heat 4. Kylmakorpi, M Karlsson, Lindgren, Messing. 57.44. 3-3. 13-11.
Both Arena boys got a flyer from the gate. Magnus held a tight line on the second bend to pass Messing. Freddie drove inside Messing on the fourth bend of lap one. No catching Kylmakorpi though. Messing nearly messed up on the third lap back straight, going perilously close to the fence on one wheel.
Heat 5. Hamill, Lanham, Bager, Correy EF. 57.59. 3-3. 16-14.
Two goes at this one. In the first one, both Billy and Ronnie made good starts but Lanham slid off on the first bend after minimal - if any - contact from the Rocket. Lanham stayed down and the race was eventually stopped with all four called back. Billy made a similar start in the re-run but Lanham stayed up this time to take second. Ronnie was in a safe third until the home straight of lap 2 when his chain snapped. Fortunately Bager was far enough behind for Ronnie to safely drift wide into the corner.
Heat 6. P Karlsson, Kylmakorpi, M Karlsson, Bager. 56.82. 4-2. 20-16.
Kylmakorpi outgated PK and shut the door on Peter's outside run into the back straight. Bager, on the inside, momentarily held second place but PK had the speed which he carried into the third and fourth bends to try again to ride around Kylmakorpi. The door was shut again coming into the home straight, but PK persevered with the outside and drove majestically around Kylmakorpi on lap 2, first and second bends, and into the lead. Magnus followed suit and built up speed to pull off an excellent outside pass of Bager around the third and fourth bends of lap 2.
Heat 7. Lindgren, Max, Johnston, Wilson. 57.52. 3-3. 23-19.
Both Wolves gated well, and Freddie was unstoppable, but Ben was last by the first bend. Mikael took a lap to pass Johnston, and then moved onto Freddie's line to give chase, but it was too late to catch him.
Heat 8. Hamill, M Karlsson, Johnston, Bager. 57.09. 5-1. 28-20.
Magnus made a great start and headed straight for the dirt line, seemingly oblivious to Billy's run around the outside, and for a moment it looked too close for comfort. No problems though, and this was an easy 5-1.
Heat 9. Hamill, Correy, Kylmakorpi, Messing. 56.77. 5-1. 33-21.
Another dominant first bend from the Wolves pair, Ronnie flying around Kylmakorpi to join Billy for another comfortable win. What a difference two 5-1s makes.
Heat 10. P Karlsson, Max (TR), Johnston, M Karlsson. 56.98. 3-5. 36-26.
Both Wolves gated again, but Johnston drove around Magnus around the first bend. Mikael took third with an inside move on Magnus going into the third bend. Magnus kept the pressure on as Mikael and Johnston took a lap or so to sort themselves out, but there was no chance to try a pass.
Heat 11. Lindgren, Lanham, Bager, Wilson. 57.11. 3-3. 39-29.
Freddie gated to a very easy win. Ben can gate with the best of them, but again he found himself trailing by the first bend.
Heat 12. M Karlsson, Johnston (TR), Correy, Bager. 58.42. 4-4. 43-23.
Bager jumped the start and led into the first bend. Magnus took the wide, fast, outside run and shot past into the lead. Johnston found some speed from somewhere and claimed second place with a burst down the inside on the back straight. Ronnie made up ground on Bager and passed him down the outside a lap later.
Heat 13. Lindgren, P Karlsson, Lanham, Kylmakorpi (Ret). 57.30. 5-1. 48-34.
There won't be many easier heat 13s than this. Both Wolves gated and took a leisurely 5-1. A good dice for 3rd place, with Lanham riding mid-track to repel his team mate's outside run at every corner. Kylmakorpi gave up at the end of lap 3. It could have been an EF, but he seemed to find some power to get him back to the pits.
Heat 14. Max, Hamill, Messing, Wilson. 56.84. 2-4. 50-38.
Vintage Max. A superb gate and a very fast ride for this stage of the meeting. As good as he ever was, on the wide line that he made his own for so many years. Messing drove around Ben on the second bend of the first lap.
Heat 15. Lindgren, Max, Hamill, Lanham (fell). No time. 4-2. 54-40.
A hard first bend saw Mikael use the outside to pass Hamill. Simultaneously, Freddie, off gate three, cut back to the inside to pass them both on the second bend. Lanham tried a cheeky pass on the inside of Billy going into the first bend of lap 4, slid off and stayed down. The race was stopped and awarded.
Comment:
Weather: Dry, warm and surprisingly rain-free.
Track: Looked like last weeks' track, but fewer riders opted for the inside, so it didn't get overslick. The outside provided some passing opportunities.
Attendance: A slightly hungry weasel.
Wolves Performance: Excellent, considering we ran rider rep (5 points), and were carrying Ben Wilson.
Entertainment: Decent racing, occasionally unpredictable, and good fun.
Referee: Tony Steele – Only stopped heat 5 when it was obvious Lanham wasn't getting up, then generously called it as all 4. Didn't call Bager back in heat 12.
Man of the Match: A close call between the top four scorers, but the renewed determination and score from Magnus sways it in his favour. Didn't hear any dissenting voices tonight.
Rider Ratings: (now on a scale of ten with 6 being the average expectation)
Peter Karlsson: 9 Almost perfect. How reassuring it is to know that we can afford to rest him for heat 15.
Ronnie Correy: 8 I expect Ronnie was disappointed with the low score after all the hard work he put in. Deserved more points.
Fredrik Lindgren: 9 Faultless, other than the dropped points in heat 4.
Billy Hamill: 8 Three wins mid-match and involvement in both 5-1s in heats 8 and 9 demonstrate just how important Billy Hamill is.
Ben Wilson. 3 Consistently good starts, but out of the running after less than one lap.
Magnus Karlsson : 9 Much more aggression from Magnus contributed to one of his best matches for Wolves.
WOLVES
Peter Karlsson 3 - 3 - 3 - 2* =11+1
R/R Christian Hefenbrock
Ronnie Correy 2* - 0 - EF - 2* - 1 =5+2
Billy Hamill 2 - 3 - 3 - 3 - 2 - 1 =14
Fredrik Lindgren 1* - 3 - 3 - 3 - 3 =13+1
Ben Wilson 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 =0
Magnus Karlsson 3 - 2 - 1 - 2* - 0 - 3 =11+1
ARENA-ESSEX
Leigh Lanham 0 - 2 - 2 - 1 - F =5
R/R Paul Hurry
Steve Johnston 1 - 1* - 1 - 1*- 4 =8+2
Mikael Max 3 - 2 - 4 - 3 - 2 =14
Joonas Kylmakorpi 3 - 2 - 1 - R =6
Henning Bager 1* - 1* - 0 - 0 - 1* - 0 =3+3
Andreas Messing 1 - 2 - 0 - 0 - 1 =4
The bonus was up for grabs with Wolves already 4 points ahead. Rider replacement for Christian (dizziness) and Hurry (
Heat 1. P Karlsson, Correy, Messing, Lanham. 56.13. 5-1. 5-1
Peter gated but Ronnie was last going into the first bend. He kept it tight and picked off first Lanham on the second bend, and then Messing on the back straight going into the third bend. As the Wolves duo pulled clear, Messing got into a bit of a, er, mess on lap two going into the back straight, causing both he and Lanham to drop further behind. A good start, and nice to see PK winning heat 1 again.
Heat 2. M Karlsson, Messing, Bager, Wilson. 57.93. 3-3. 8-4.
Both Wolves gated but Bager burrowed past Wilson on the second bend. Messing didn't, er, mess about this time and followed Bager through the hole. Not content with third, Messing pulled off an impressive but unnecessary outside pass of his partner down theback straight on lap 4.
Heat 3. Max, Hamill, Johnston, Correy. 56.96. 2-4. 10-8.
Max gated as sharply as he ever did and cruised around for the win looking as classy as in his Wolves days. Johnston briefly nosed ahead of Billy coming off the second bend, but Hamill had more speed down the straight. Ronnie put Johnston under some pressure on laps two and three, but had to avoid getting too close on the first bend of lap four and lost ground.
Heat 4. Kylmakorpi, M Karlsson, Lindgren, Messing. 57.44. 3-3. 13-11.
Both Arena boys got a flyer from the gate. Magnus held a tight line on the second bend to pass Messing. Freddie drove inside Messing on the fourth bend of lap one. No catching Kylmakorpi though. Messing nearly messed up on the third lap back straight, going perilously close to the fence on one wheel.
Heat 5. Hamill, Lanham, Bager, Correy EF. 57.59. 3-3. 16-14.
Two goes at this one. In the first one, both Billy and Ronnie made good starts but Lanham slid off on the first bend after minimal - if any - contact from the Rocket. Lanham stayed down and the race was eventually stopped with all four called back. Billy made a similar start in the re-run but Lanham stayed up this time to take second. Ronnie was in a safe third until the home straight of lap 2 when his chain snapped. Fortunately Bager was far enough behind for Ronnie to safely drift wide into the corner.
Heat 6. P Karlsson, Kylmakorpi, M Karlsson, Bager. 56.82. 4-2. 20-16.
Kylmakorpi outgated PK and shut the door on Peter's outside run into the back straight. Bager, on the inside, momentarily held second place but PK had the speed which he carried into the third and fourth bends to try again to ride around Kylmakorpi. The door was shut again coming into the home straight, but PK persevered with the outside and drove majestically around Kylmakorpi on lap 2, first and second bends, and into the lead. Magnus followed suit and built up speed to pull off an excellent outside pass of Bager around the third and fourth bends of lap 2.
Heat 7. Lindgren, Max, Johnston, Wilson. 57.52. 3-3. 23-19.
Both Wolves gated well, and Freddie was unstoppable, but Ben was last by the first bend. Mikael took a lap to pass Johnston, and then moved onto Freddie's line to give chase, but it was too late to catch him.
Heat 8. Hamill, M Karlsson, Johnston, Bager. 57.09. 5-1. 28-20.
Magnus made a great start and headed straight for the dirt line, seemingly oblivious to Billy's run around the outside, and for a moment it looked too close for comfort. No problems though, and this was an easy 5-1.
Heat 9. Hamill, Correy, Kylmakorpi, Messing. 56.77. 5-1. 33-21.
Another dominant first bend from the Wolves pair, Ronnie flying around Kylmakorpi to join Billy for another comfortable win. What a difference two 5-1s makes.
Heat 10. P Karlsson, Max (TR), Johnston, M Karlsson. 56.98. 3-5. 36-26.
Both Wolves gated again, but Johnston drove around Magnus around the first bend. Mikael took third with an inside move on Magnus going into the third bend. Magnus kept the pressure on as Mikael and Johnston took a lap or so to sort themselves out, but there was no chance to try a pass.
Heat 11. Lindgren, Lanham, Bager, Wilson. 57.11. 3-3. 39-29.
Freddie gated to a very easy win. Ben can gate with the best of them, but again he found himself trailing by the first bend.
Heat 12. M Karlsson, Johnston (TR), Correy, Bager. 58.42. 4-4. 43-23.
Bager jumped the start and led into the first bend. Magnus took the wide, fast, outside run and shot past into the lead. Johnston found some speed from somewhere and claimed second place with a burst down the inside on the back straight. Ronnie made up ground on Bager and passed him down the outside a lap later.
Heat 13. Lindgren, P Karlsson, Lanham, Kylmakorpi (Ret). 57.30. 5-1. 48-34.
There won't be many easier heat 13s than this. Both Wolves gated and took a leisurely 5-1. A good dice for 3rd place, with Lanham riding mid-track to repel his team mate's outside run at every corner. Kylmakorpi gave up at the end of lap 3. It could have been an EF, but he seemed to find some power to get him back to the pits.
Heat 14. Max, Hamill, Messing, Wilson. 56.84. 2-4. 50-38.
Vintage Max. A superb gate and a very fast ride for this stage of the meeting. As good as he ever was, on the wide line that he made his own for so many years. Messing drove around Ben on the second bend of the first lap.
Heat 15. Lindgren, Max, Hamill, Lanham (fell). No time. 4-2. 54-40.
A hard first bend saw Mikael use the outside to pass Hamill. Simultaneously, Freddie, off gate three, cut back to the inside to pass them both on the second bend. Lanham tried a cheeky pass on the inside of Billy going into the first bend of lap 4, slid off and stayed down. The race was stopped and awarded.
Comment:
Weather: Dry, warm and surprisingly rain-free.
Track: Looked like last weeks' track, but fewer riders opted for the inside, so it didn't get overslick. The outside provided some passing opportunities.
Attendance: A slightly hungry weasel.
Wolves Performance: Excellent, considering we ran rider rep (5 points), and were carrying Ben Wilson.
Entertainment: Decent racing, occasionally unpredictable, and good fun.
Referee: Tony Steele – Only stopped heat 5 when it was obvious Lanham wasn't getting up, then generously called it as all 4. Didn't call Bager back in heat 12.
Man of the Match: A close call between the top four scorers, but the renewed determination and score from Magnus sways it in his favour. Didn't hear any dissenting voices tonight.
Rider Ratings: (now on a scale of ten with 6 being the average expectation)
Peter Karlsson: 9 Almost perfect. How reassuring it is to know that we can afford to rest him for heat 15.
Ronnie Correy: 8 I expect Ronnie was disappointed with the low score after all the hard work he put in. Deserved more points.
Fredrik Lindgren: 9 Faultless, other than the dropped points in heat 4.
Billy Hamill: 8 Three wins mid-match and involvement in both 5-1s in heats 8 and 9 demonstrate just how important Billy Hamill is.
Ben Wilson. 3 Consistently good starts, but out of the running after less than one lap.
Magnus Karlsson : 9 Much more aggression from Magnus contributed to one of his best matches for Wolves.
