Tuesday 4th September 2012, 14:50

Swedish star Antonio Lindback admits he would like to improve his record in the heat races as he steps up his push for a place in the World Championship’s top eight.

The Rio Rocket goes into the FIM Scandinavian SGP in Malilla on Saturday laying ninth in the standings on 74 points – just two behind compatriot Andreas Jonsson in eighth spot.

Lindback was 16 adrift of eighth after the Croatian SGP in Gorican on July 28, but his maiden Grand Prix win in Terenzano on August 11 and his third place in Cardiff on August 25 have put him on AJ’s tail.

The Avesta-based rider has never finished above 10^th in the SGP rankings and would love to gain automatic qualification for the first time in his career.

But having reached the Italian and British SGP semis by bagging eight points in his heat races, Lindback still feels there is room for improvement as he picks up form at the perfect time.

“The heat scoring is something I need to work on,” he said. “But I’m definitely up there and doing better than before, so I’m happy.

“It’s really nice. I’m close to the top eight and I’m just going to keep going. I’m happy with 12 points from Cardiff and I just want to keep it going in Malilla.”

Lindback admits taking a more relaxed approach to his SGP racing made a huge difference last month. And he says his pit crew has played a vital role in keeping him chilled to perfection.

The GP Challenge qualifier said: “I’m really happy with my team and they’re doing a fantastic job to keep me in the right mood. I hope we can keep this up for the rest of the season.

“Everyone helps each other and this is not a one-man show. You are a team and you need to know everyone is working the same way. I’m happy with everyone.”

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