A monstrous unforced wheelie cost Oxford Cheetahs ace Todd Wiltshire a chance to land speedway's British Grand Prix in the EGG-sponsored meeting at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday.

The star-spangled event was won by pre-tournament favourite Tony Rickardsson from former Cheetah Jason Crump and the much-fancied Pole, Tomasz Gollob.

Tony Rickardsson Wiltshire had been flying on the Klaus Lausch-tuned engines and riding probably his best speedway of the season until his untimely mishap in the first semi-final.

He was lying second behind Gollob at the time, a slot that would have put him into the main final. However, as he pulled out of the second turn, he picked up tremendous drive and and the bike went away from him, dumping him flat on his back.

Despite that horror fall, he hauled himself up and came out fighting to finish runner-up in the Consolation final behind fellow countryman Ryan Sullivan.

Wiltshire made his bow in heat 14 and despite a level start, soon found himself languishing in third place. However, before the first lap had been completed, he had swooped inside Greg Walasek and Carl Stonehewer, and how he held on to his bike after another spectacular bucking bronco act down the home straight, we shall never know.

In an explosive heat 18, when the bumper crowd nearly brought the house down in their support for reigning champion Mark Loram, the Oxford club skipper had to give best to the impressive Jimmy Nilsen, while Loram crashed heavily at the pits turn and Crump had come to a standstill.

The referee would have done better to award the race, as the re-run was just a formality, with neither rider busting a gut.

That effort put Wiltshire into the semi-final where that big, big wheelie cost him a place in the final.

There wasn't much luck for the other Oxford riders, Leigh Adams and Brian Andersen, though both played their part.

Andersen, who had to be quick off the mark in heat one, safely negotiated that hurdle by finishing second behind Scott Nicholls, with a hugely disappointing Chris Louis in fourth.

The Dane's progress continued in his next ride in heat eight, which had to be re-run after Stonehewer had come to grief. Andersen passed Henka Gustfasson to finish second behind Nilsen, which took him through to the 'Sweet Sixteen' to join Wiltshire and Adams.

By now, the going was getting tougher and tougher, and in fact, it was to prove the end of the road for Andersen as he finished last in both heats 14 and 15 to bow out of the meeting.

Meanwhile, Adams had a tough baptism in heat 13, finding Rickardsson and Loram at their best, but third was enough to send him through to heat 15 where anything less than a place in the first two would have spelt his exit.

A superb start meant that Adams was in the driving seat and had an armchair ride to see off Sullivan and Greg Hancock in the heat that also brought the end of Andersen.

But heat 19 was to spell disaster for Britain's top rider as surprise packet Niklas Klingberg and Jason Crump had first run, even though the Oxford man came out level at the gate. He was in fourth position and although he finally got he better of Nicki Pedersen in a ding-dong affair, it was another disappointing night for the Aussie.

All that was left was a most spectacular podium ceremony as Rickardsson was followed onto the rostrum followed by runner-up Crump and third-placed Gollob, who now leads the GP standings.

Firecrackers, smoke bombs and red tickertape exploded on a night to remember for the 30,000-plus fans, who will want more of the same next year.

See separate story for results, heat by heat