THE Buildbase Bees again dragged themselves back from the brink of defeat to gain two more important points in the race for the Elite League play-offs.
Wolverhampton, for long periods of the match, seemed set to win at Brandon for the first time in nearly five years, but they were left to rue some mechanical problems in their middle order as on this occasion their Swedish spearhead were outpointed in Heats 13 and 15.
That was largely due to Bees' No.1 Chris Harris winning both of those races in fine style, recovering from a disappointing start to the meeting personally, and an heroic third place from a far-from-fit Rory Schlein in the former heat.
But Bees, who dropped six points down on two occasions, would arguably have been nowhere near their local rivals had it not been for another high-scoring display at reserve from Ben Barker, who dropped just one point in six rides.
Barker has been paid for double figures in each of his last six matches, and his return from injury has given Bees some lower-order impetus at a time when other team members are clearly less confident.
Wolves arrived fresh from a narrow win over Swindon in their last home outing but also, perhaps more significantly, big away wins over Belle Vue and Eastbourne in the last ten days.
And their confidence was obvious in the first race as Fredrik Lindgren and Nicolai Klindt both made perfect starts with Harris snaking away from gate four, and the home captain was unable to split the visiting combination.
Wolves reserve Chris Kerr was sent back 15 metres after failing to beat the time allowance in Heat 2, although that did move Ty Proctor across to gate two, but he was clamped by Ben Barker, who made a slightly better start from three. Ricky Wells was away well too, but lifted on the first bend which meant Proctor could go clear in second place, whilst the chasing Kerr hit the fence coming out of the final bend, but fortunately remained on his machine.
There were problems for Adam Skornicki prior to Heat 3, and it was no real surprise when he had little power leaving the start-line - but Tai Woffinden limited any damage with a win from the gate, very much putting behind him his crash at Brandon last Sunday.
But Bees gained an unexpected boost in Heat 4 when Peter Karlsson found himself outgated by Schlein and Barker, and the challenge of the Wolves skipper faded when he locked up on the third lap allowing Barker to pull clear in second place.
Lindgren's second win of the night in Heat 5 was as comprehensive as the first, but this time Klindt was kept at the back by Edward Kennett and Olly Allen as Bees maintained a two-point lead.
Wolves fought back, though, in Heat 6 with Harris missing the gate again as Karlsson and Kerr hit the front only for Filip Sitera to go into the fence heavily on the third bend - and whilst the Czech rider was unhurt, significant repairs were required ahead of the re-run.
In that second attempt, Harris made the start only to lift on the second bend and go wide with Karlsson making it through on the inside - and then riding perfectly to fend Harris off, the two coming mightily close on the back straight on lap two as Harris attempted to pass on the outside.
And the Wolves comeback was complete in Heat 7 when Woffinden again gated well, Skornicki surged around the outside and Schlein was blocked out completely to put the visitors 23-19 up.
It got even better for the league leaders in Heat 8 with Barker beaten for the first time, Klindt again showing his gating ability especially from the outside, and Proctor's third place over Sitera also appeared to be significant.
Kerr, who was very much on the pace, threatened a major upset in Heat 9 as Kennett and Olly Allen had their hands full in trying to protect a shared race behind Karlsson - Kerr at one stage went between the Bees pairing before Allen established himself in second place, but Kennett only regained third on the last lap and even then there was a nervous moment as Kerr tried to respond off the final bend.
There was a dramatic development in Heat 10 which started as a high-speed battle between Woffinden and Harris with the Bees captain riding wider and wider to look for a passing opportunity, before then cutting back sweetly and taking the lead into the last lap. Woffinden then suffered an engine seizure causing him to fall on turn one, and that handed second place to Barker and Coventry were awarded a 5-1.
It gave Bees hope as the gap was down to just two points - but their revival appeared to be short-lived as Lindgren and Klindt again got their gating right in Heat 11 to lead Schlein, and although they didn't quite get the fourth bend right, they still had enough of a gap to sort things out and move back into a six-point lead.
The trading of 5-1s continued in the next race, though, with Bees having a stroke of fortune as Woffinden, aboard Skornicki's machine, failed to leave the start-line which gave Allen and Barker an opportunity which they weren't about to turn down.
Still Bees had to find a way past the Lindgren/Karlsson combination and as Harris made the start from the inside in Heat 13, the other three riders hit the first bend virtually together and a sandwiched Schlein came down hard, doing some damage to his shoulder in the process.
It was bravery in the extreme by Schlein to take the re-run, and not only that to make a fast start which left Karlsson completely out of contention on the outside, with Harris superbly covering Lindgren's top-speed blast into turn three. Both Bees riders held their respective opponents at bay, and a more than useful 3-3 was the outcome which left the scores level.
Bees made the obvious move ahead of Heat 14 to bring in Barker for his sixth ride, and yet again the penultimate race of the night saw them gain maximum rewards with Barker riding the inside, Kennett the outside after making good starts, and a frustrated Skornicki was left on the wrong end of a 5-1.
So the match was in exactly the same state as the 'A' fixture three weeks prior - Bees 44-40 up, but with Harris and Kennett facing Lindgren and Karlsson.
Bees won the toss this time, taking gates two and four, and they got what they wanted into the first bend with Harris breaking clear of the Wolves duo and Kennett charging around the outside to lead initially.
Eventually Kennett's wide line saw him trapped by Lindgren mid-race with Karlsson also taking the opportunity to come through just as Wolves appeared under threat of taking nothing from the meeting - but their chance of catching Harris had gone, and the Bees had their first Elite League win over their rivals this season.
It moves them five points clear of Peterborough, and with another home match to come whilst the Panthers only have away fixtures ahead, it was another major move towards a top-four finish - and if they can take maximum points against Eastbourne on Monday, and get something from Arlington the following week, it should be top-three.