A late surge from Wolverhampton Wolves saw them snatch a 49-41 victory against Birmingham Brummies in an intriguing Midlands derby.

Wolves got off to a flying start as Ty Proctor and Fredrik Lindgren raced clear from the gate to take a comfortable 5-1.

A nasty fall for Brummies man Tomasz Piszcz saw him excluded, but new Wolves pairing Matej Kus and Jacob Thorssell we’re unable to capitalise, as Brit Josh Auty blasted around the Wolves pair on the opening lap to secure a 3-3.

The visitors then halve the deficit to just two points after Danny King withheld some early pressure from Ricky Wells to score a win which was converted into a 4-2 by Ben Barker taking third.

Yet Wolves instantly restored their four point lead as the returning Tai Woffinden romped to an emphatic heat 4 victory and Jacob Thorssell took third.

Following a level heat 5, the dynamic Proctor and Lindgren duo again combined to strike a massive 5-1 and double the hosts lead to 8.

Birmingham instantly hit back through British duo Barker and King next time out as they took the chequered flag ahead of Woffinden for a Brummies maximum.

The impeccable Proctor bagged his third win of the night despite heavy pressure from Smolinski, although the home side were on a 5-1 until Thorssell fell on lap two.

At the end of heat 9, Birmingham were surprisingly level, with Ulamek and Auty gating superbly and taking the chequered flag for a second Brummies maximum.

The magnificent Danny King then instigated his side going in front, as he won heat 10 from Lindgren with Barker on third.

After a pair of 3-3s, Tai Woffinden blasted between Brummies pair Ulamek and Piszcz to take the chequered flag, with partner Lindgren coming through to take third and pull the home side level.

Wolves then ensured that they would take at least a draw, with Ricky Wells an youngsters Jacob Thorssell racing to an unlikely maximum ahead of Barker and Auty in the penultimate race of the night.

Following the exclusion of Brummies skipper King due to a fall in the all important heat 15, Wolves were assured of victory, but Woffinden and Lindgren then gave the home side all 3 points with a 5-1 over Ulamek in the rerun.

For Wolves, it was an excellent team performance, with all riders playing their part in a professional display. Tai Woffinden (13) was outstanding on his return from injury, with number one Fredrik Lindgren (10+2) also excellent. In the middle order, Ty Proctor (8+1), Robert Miskowiak (6) and Ricky Wells (6) all played their part, picking up 6 race wins between them, whilst reserve Jacob Thorssell (5+1) proved crucial with a battling display.

On the other hand, Birmingham will be disappointed to have left empty handed having been in contention of victory until the final two races. Josh Auty (10+2) was brilliant, as he has been all season, and skipper Danny King (10+1) led from the front. However, the remaining riders really did under perform a little, and that cost them. Ben Barker (5+1) would expect to do better despite picking up some useful points, whilst Sebastian Ulamek (7) was solid yet unspectacular. Tomasz Piszcz (0) again failed to score, but possibly the main disappointment was Bjarne Pedersen (4+1) who failed to perform as he needed to from the number one race jacket.

SCORES

Lindgren-Consistent No.1

Wolverhampton Wolves – 49

1. Freddie Lindgren – 2′ , 3 , 2 , 1 , 2′ = 10+2
2. Ty Proctor – 3 , 2′ , 3 , 0 = 8+1
3. Robert Miskowiak – 0 , 3 , R , 3 = 6
4. Ricky Wells – 2 , 0 , 1 , 3 = 6
5. Tai Woffinden – 3 , 1 , 3 , 3 , 3 = 13
6. Matej Kus – 1′ , 0 , R  = 1+1
7. Jacob Thorssell – 2 , 1 , F , 0 , 2′ = 5+1

Birmingham Brummies – 41

King-Very Quick

1. Bjarne Pedersen – 1 , 2 , 1′  = 4+1
2. Martin Smolinski – R , 1′ , 2 , 2 = 5+1
3. Danny King – 3 , 3 , 3 , 1′ , F/X = 10+1
4. Ben Barker – 1 , 2′ , 1 , 1 = 5+1
5. Seb Ulamek – 0 , 1 , 3 , 2 , 1 = 7
6. Tomasz Piszcz – F/X , 0 ,0 = 0
7. Josh Auty – 3 , 2 , 1′ , 2′ , 2 , 0 = 10+2

Images Copyright Sandra Davidsson (www.speedway-sasha.se) and Wojta Zavril (www.wojta-zavril.cz)