OXFORD guest Peter Karlsson became the first rider to beat Krzysztof Kasprzak in eight races as Pirates lost at Cowley Stadium on May 12.

Special K had romped to victory in his opening two rides, the second a comfortable 5-1 with Antonio Lindback over Stefan Andersson in heat seven.

Poole RIAS only trailed 22-20 at that stage and harboured genuine hopes of pulling off their fourth away Elite League win of the season against the bottom side.

But Karlsson, drafted in to replace the injured Greg Hancock for the Silver Machine, squeezed outside of Kasprzak coming off the second bend of the first lap in heat 10 to take the lead.

The Swede went on to lower the Pole's colours and halt his impressive seven race winning run in style to protect Oxford's six-point lead with only five races to go.

Pirates, who produced seven heat winners in Kasprzak (three), Bjarne Pedersen, Lindback, Ryan Sullivan and Edward Kennett, just could not wear the Silver Machine down though.

Six of the last seven races were shared 3-3 and, frustratingly for Poole and their 250 supporters on the third bend, they became only the second side to lose in five league matches at Cowley this year.

Karlsson's top score of 11 paid 12 led the way for Oxford and his defeat of Kasprzak was only the Pole's second in 12 heats up until then without a mechanical breakdown.

Indeed, the last rider to lower KK's colours in the league without him suffering an engine failure was Leigh Adams in heat one of Poole's 54-40 home win over Swindon on Monday, May 2.

Since then, Kasprzak - who top-scored for Pirates with 12 paid 13 last night - had won 10 out of 11 against the Robins, Coventry at home and the first two at Cowley.

The mechanical breakdown came in heat 15 against the Robins when he was running a comfortable second on the last lap behind his team-mate Sullivan and pulled up allowing Adams and Charlie Gjedde to grab second and third.

Cause of the engine failure? No oil!

KK and Lindback combined for a 4-2 over Niels-Kristian and Jesper B Jensen in heat three to hit back straight away after Tom Madsen and ex-Pirate Henka Gustafsson had got a 5-1 for Oxford in race two to give them the lead.

Kennett was a brilliant tapes-to-flag winner over Gustafsson in heat four and with Sullivan third, a second Poole 4-2 levelled it up at 12-12.

With Matej Ferjan and Tobias Johansson off colour - the Swede has failed to score in seven rides for Pirates so far since replacing Ray Morton - Oxford grabbed a 5-1 and 4-2 in the next two races.

KK and Lindback hit back with their 5-1 in heat seven to make it 22-20 before Travis McGowan and Gustafsson got a 5-1 over Kennett and Ferjan in heat eight that stretched the Silver Machine's lead out to six points again and, ultimately, clinched their triumph.

It leaves Poole trailing table-topping Belle Vue by two points, but Swindon's 55-40 defeat at Ipswich means the Dorset club still have a three point lead over the third-placed Robins.

Heat Details

Oxford 49: 1 Peter Karlsson (1*-3-3-1-3) 11+1, 2 Travis McGowan (2-1-3-0) 6, 3 Jesper B Jensen (0-2*-2-2) 6+1, 4 Niels-Kristian Iversen (2-3-1*-1*) 7+2, 5 Stefan Andersson (0-1-3-3-0) 7, 6 Tom P Madsen (3-0-0) 3, 7 Henka Gustafsson (2*-2-2*-1*-2) 9+3.

Team Manager: Nigel Wagstaff.

Pirates 41: 1 Bjarne Pedersen (3-1-2-2-2) 10, 2 Matej Ferjan (0-0-0) 0, 3 Krzysztof Kasprzak (3-3-2-3-1*) 12+1, 4 Antonio Lindback (1-2*-1*-3) 7+2, 5 Ryan Sullivan (1-2-3-0) 6, 6 Tobias Johansson (ret-0-0-0) 0, 7 Edward Kennett (1-3-1-1*-0-exc 2 mins) 6+1,

Team Manager: Neil Middleditch.

Referee: Craig Ackroyd.

Ht 1: (re-run) Pedersen, McGowan, Karlsson, Ferjan, 60.4 (3-3).

Ht 2: Madsen, Gustafsson, Kennett, Johansson, 61.0 (8-4).

Ht 3: Kasprzak, Iversen, Lindback, Jensen, 59.8 (10-8).

Ht 4: Kennett, Gustafsson, Sullivan, Andersson, 60.7 (12-12).

Ht 5: Iversen, Jensen, Pedersen, Ferjan, 60.5 (17-13).

Ht 6: Karlsson, Sullivan, McGowan, Johansson, 59.7 (21-15).

Ht 7: Kasprzak, Lindback, Andersson, Madsen, 60.3 (22-20).

Ht 8: McGowan, Gustafsson, Kennett, Ferjan, 60.8 (27-21).

Ht 9: Sullivan, Jensen, Iversen, Johansson, 60.2 (30-24).

Ht 10: Karlsson, Kasprzak, Lindback, McGowan, 60.2 (33-27).

Ht 11: Andersson, Pedersen, Kennett, Madsen, 60.8 (36-30).

Ht 12: Kasprzak, Jensen, Gustafsson, Kennett, 61.1 (39-33).

Ht 13: Andersson, Pedersen, Karlsson, Sullivan, 60.7 (43-35).

Ht 14: Lindback, Gustafsson, Iversen, Johansson, Kennett (excluded, two minutes), 61.2 (46-38).

Ht 15: Karlsson, Pedersen, Kasprzak, Andersson, 60.5 (49-41).