WOLVERHAMPTON 44 COVENTRY 46
WOLVES: BEES:
M.Karlsson 3 1 1 0 5 G.Hancock 2 3 3 3 1 3 15
J.Jensen R 3 2 3 8 A.Jonsson 1'F 1(1)
J.Larsen 3 2 1 3 0 9 P.Hurry 1 2 0 1 4
C.Gjedde 2'1'E 1' 4(3) St.Robson E 0 2 3 5
P.Karlsson 2 3 2 2 1 10 B.Hamill 3 2 3 3 2' 13(1)
R.Juul 3 1 0 2'2 8(1) Sc.Robson 1 0 1 2(1)
D.Keats 0 0 0 0 S.Tacey 2 1 1 2 F X 6(1)
HEAT DETAILS:
Ht 1:M.Karlsson, Hancock, Jonsson, Jensen(ret), 61.2 3-3 3-3
Ht 2:Juul, Tacey, Sc.Robson, Keats, 64.1 3-3 6-6
Ht 3:Larsen, Gjedde, Hurry, St.Robson(ef), 63.6 5-1 11-7
Ht 4:Hamill, P.Karlsson, Tacey, Keats(f,rem), 60.3 2-4 13-11
Ht 5:Hancock, Larsen, Gjedde, Jonsson(f), 60.6 3-3 16-14
Ht 6:Jensen, Hamill, M.Karlsson, Sc.Robson, 59.9 4-2 20-16
Ht 7:P.Karlsson, Hurry, Juul, St.Robson, 60.7 4-2 24-18
Ht 8:Hancock, Jensen, Tacey, Keats, 60.5 2-4 26-22
Ht 9:Hamill, Tacey, Larsen, Gjedde(ef), 60.4 1-5 27-27
Ht10:Jensen, St.Robson, M.Karlsson, Hurry, 60.3 4-2 31-29
Ht11:Hancock, P.Karlsson, Sc.Robson, Juul, 60.1 2-4 33-33
Ht12:Larsen, Juul, Hurry(15y), Tacey(f), 61.3 5-1 38-34
Ht13:Hamill, P.Karlsson, Hancock, M.Karlsson, 60.0 2-4 40-38
Ht14:St.Robson, Juul, Gjedde, Tacey(f,exc), 62.1 3-3 43-41
Ht15:Hancock, Hamill, P.Karlsson, Larsen, 90.6 1-5 44-46
SKY TV HAVE CERTAINLY HAD some eventful meetings in their first season of Elite League coverage, but this one probably tops the lot for incidents and drama - and at the end of it all, Wolverhampton were once again haunted by Greg Hancock and Billy Hamill, who produced a sublime piece of team-riding in Heat 15 to turn a two-point deficit into a two-point win. Bees only led the meeting once, but it was at the most important time, and it proved the value of hanging on in the meeting with some determined riding from the rest of the team, allowing the top men to do what they do best in the spectacular finale.
Wolves will, no doubt, point to a rare slice of luck that Bees enjoyed in Heat 14 when the home team could have sealed victory but for a Shaun Tacey fall which enabled the race to be re-run, but to do that would be to totally ignore everything that went against Coventry in the early stages, including the loss of Andreas Jonsson with a thumb injury in Heat 5, and a mechanical failure depriving Stuart Robson of a certain win in Heat 3.
With the TV coverage came a carnival atmosphere complete with jugglers, stilt-men and flame throwers, but as ever the biggest clown in the Monmore circus was Porky Pie, who continually, and foolishly, wrote off Coventry's chances throughout the meeting - and when the line-ups were announced for Heat 15 it was almost as if someone had turned on a switch which triggered realisation in his head of what was very likely to happen! Porky paced nervously around the centre green before the race, and sure enough the Exide Bees said so long to the man who apparently put the 'A' into Abba, Peter Karlsson, leaving the vanquished mike man in need of an SOS himself.
However, all that came right at the end of a thrilling meeting which had started two and a half hours earlier in pouring rain. Wolverhampton was sunny at 7pm, but the forecast heavy showers arrived right on cue at 7.30pm and as the parade took place, spectators were dashing for cover as a mini-storm hit the stadium. Fortunately it didn't last too long, but it ensured that the track was going to be extremely tricky, especially for the first few races. (The rain, incidentally, also played havoc with Porky's brain as he announced Jesper Jensen as "Metal Mickey" - I'm not a Wolves fan, but even I've spotted that they play Toni Basil's Mickey whenever Mikael Karlsson wins a race - which hasn't been too often against Coventry this season.)
Both sides suffered bike problems during the match, and they started early for Jesper Jensen, just as he was approaching the line for Heat 1. Jensen left his bike and rushed across the centre green for a replacement. New Wolves man Derrol Keats (a novelty for the Monmore men to sign someone just after injury rather than just before!) provided said replacement, shooting straight out of the pits and round to the start line, causing Jensen to dash back across the centre green! When the race got going, Mikael Karlsson just got the drop on Greg Hancock, and Andreas Jonsson was not seriously threatened in third place as Jensen spun to a standstill at the start of lap two.
Karlsson's time was slow by Monmore standards, even though he and Hancock hadn't looked in any trouble, but the reserves race was three seconds slower, with Juul picking his way through to win ahead of Tacey and Scott Robson who rode a controlled race ahead of Keats.
Heat 3 was a lengthy affair, and very unlucky for Coventry. Wolves guest Josh Larsen went much too wide on the first bend and was destined to be way off the pace when Charlie Gjedde dived ambitiously inside Bees guest Paul Hurry exiting turn two and clearly took him down. Somehow, the referee adjudged this to be an unsatisfactory start, and that was a double let-off for Gjedde, because his bike quite clearly wasn't running properly on his way to the line. He still didn't fix it for the re-run, but enjoyed amazing fortune. Hurry went from inside to outside and spun completely through 360 degrees on turn 2, but Stuart Robson produced a wonderful burst of pace and control to round Larsen at the end of the first lap. He then charged away unchallenged, only for his bike to splutter to a halt on the last lap allowing Larsen and the ailing Gjedde to lead Hurry home for a 5-1.
It was about time Coventry got a heat win on the board, and Billy Hamill provided it in Heat 4. For a moment, things looked extremely promising as he and Tacey went either side of Peter Karlsson on the first lap, but Karlsson quickly recovered enough to move into second place. Keats, whose form again underlined the gulf between Elite and Premier leagues, fell when well behind Tacey.
Heat 5 was very eventful, as Larsen made an excellent start to get ahead of Hancock, with Jonsson and Gjedde disputing third place. On turns 3 and 4, Hancock beautifully cut inside Larsen to take the lead, but Jonsson went careering across the track, fortunately managing to get off his bike before it clattered into the fence. He then quickly cleared the track with Hancock in the lead, but subsequently had to pull out of the rest of the meeting with a thumb injury - hopefully it's not too bad, but there's no doubt that he's not a fan of Monmore Green.
Wolves took their lead back up to four points after a hectic squabble in Heat 6 with Hamill doing well to pass Mikael Karlsson, but he wasn't quite able to get the better of Jensen, who became the first man to head Hamill at Monmore this season. And the home side looked like they were taking control in Heat 7, which looked for a long time like it could be a 5-1. Juul had been in mechanical trouble before the race, but was given plenty of time to sort it out - the excuse given being that Sky were showing commericals, but if that was the case then why did the riders come out for the race in the first place? For much of the race it was Stuart Robson chasing Peter Karlsson and Juul, but Hurry suddenly came from nowhere and moved into second place to restrict Wolves to a 4-2, which put the gap up to six points for the first time in the night.
That meant it was tactical subsitute time, and Hancock was the choice to replace the injured Jonsson alongside Tacey in Heat 8. It was Coventry from the gate, but Jensen managed to get between them on lap one, and Bees had to be content with a 4-2. However, the deficit was completely wiped out in an excellent Heat 9. This time it was Hamill's turn to strike trouble before the start, but Hancock was quickly out with a bike, and whoever's machine it was it didn't make much difference as Hamill steaked away to win. Tacey, replacing Scott Robson, didn't make a great start, but benefitted from Gjedde going wide and taking Larsen with him to shoot through on the inside into second place. Gjedde then stopped on turn 4, and this further interfered with Larsen, who never got close to challenging Tacey.
There was plenty to watch at the start of Heat 10 as Hurry, clearly with problems, put his arm up just before the riders came under starters orders. For some reason, he then put it down and decided to take the start as normal, but barely got going off the line. The other three riders, meanwhile, all hit the first bend at the same time, and all slid off at the same time - Stuart Robson, Mikael Karlsson and Jensen all ending up in a heap next to the fence, and Hurry spluttered his way past them making sure he was under power! All four back was the verdict, but Hurry again made a poor start and it was the impressive Jensen who collected the win, ahead of a mature second place for Robson over Karlsson.
It was nip and tuck now and Bees got back level in Heat 11 with Hancock reeling off his third straight win and Scott Robson grabbing what proved to be a vital point with a committed surge inside an apparently slumbering Juul, who then failed to put any pressure back on the Bees man. That made it 33-33 - a key scoreline, because it meant that Hamill and Hancock could secure a draw on their own, and given their track record at Wolverhampton, that must have given Bees confidence.
Not that it showed in Heat 12, which always looked like it could go either way. Bees were probably banking on Hurry producing something, but he rolled into the tapes from gate 4 and was resigned to taking the 15 yard handicap, a distance he never recovered. Tacey, meanwhile, was outgated by Larsen and Juul, and fell on the last bend attempting a do-or-die surge round the outside. With Wolves four up, Bees simply had to get a heat advantage from Heat 13, and with an interval taking place before the race the track was to be wet again as another shower hit the stadium, although this one wasn't as heavy as the first one and certainly didn't affect the race time in a highly competitive race. Hamill made the start but Hancock missed it, and attempted to blast between the Wolves men on the first bend. He nearly made it, but Peter Karlsson just managed to hang on inside him and Hancock had to throttle back to avoid being re-taken by Mikael Karlsson. The 4-2 for Coventry was just about enough, but it meant they had to survive Heat 14.
And for an horrendous few seconds, it looked like it would all be over in Heat 14 as Juul and Gjedde made the starts of their lives to head Stuart Robson and Tacey away. As they came through to complete the first lap, the fat man was just preparing to sing - I'm sure he was gargling - when Tacey picked up huge lift coming down the straight and fell over backwards, the bike careering down the home straight and slamming into the fence. Tacey was unhurt but to the anger of the Wolves fans the race was stopped (the safety fence had been damaged in any case) and a re-run ordered. Gloriously, Stuart Robson rode a sensational first bend in the re-start to edge in front, and then gradually pulled away to a crucial win - and that made it 43-41 with just one heat to come, and everyone knew what was next!
Even before the line-ups had been announced, there was a kind of inevitable feeling around the stadium. With the knowledge that Mikael Karlsson wasn't even close to being eligible for the race, Coventry fans were even happier when it became clear that the consistent scoring of Juul had knocked the fast-gating Jensen out of the race as well (how important that problem at the start of Heat 1 a long, long time ago was!). In the end Wolves had to go for Larsen, who had joint top scored without looking at all impressive, and that meant, essentially, it was all down to Peter Karlsson. Standing in his way, of course, the greatest double act of the Nineties. Bees fans were already singing The Great Escape; I don't know if I've ever felt so confident about a last-heat decider.
Not that it was won directly from the start. It all seems something of a blur now, so much so that I honestly can't remember which one of the pairing made the start and produced the most divine first corner to trap the Wolves pairing and allow his partner through to join him! No matter, that was what happened, and with Larsen predictably tailing off immediately, it was Karlsson who fought for a few laps, but dropped back when he hit the back straight fence on lap three. Amidst scenes of wild jubilation from the large contingent of Coventry fans, Hamill and Hancock came through for the match-winning 5-1, and promptly tossed their goggles into the crowd afterwards!
As a footnote, Karlsson did gain a small measure of revenge afterwards when he relieved Hancock of the Golden Helmet, but it somehow didn't seem to matter in the slightest.
An amazing meeting - we came, we saw, we conquered, congratulations to all the team for a brilliant night, and Billy and Greg should be given the freedom of Coventry for that last race. And at the end of it all, Porky, what was the score?