FROM brilliant to baffling and back again – you could describe Cardiff 2016 and its winner with the same adjectives.

Record-breaking debuts, league-winning performances, questions over commitment and a retirement at 22, British Grand Prix winner Antonio Lindback’s career really has had it all.

Saturday night was no different with passes aplenty and senior stars such as Greg Hancock having their cages rattled.

But the one consistency amid the Rio Rocket’s personal peaks and troughs is the fact he generally gets the nod.

Whether battling back through the lower leagues in his native Sweden or rejuvenating his career with a national championship and Speedway World Cup medal, GP chiefs simply can’t get enough.

And it would appear to be the same at Wimborne Road.

When promoter Matt Ford talks about his push for a squad system, his is mind on luring the likes of Lindback into a return to the UK.

“I have many fans from racing here and Matt Ford is still a good friend to me. I am always having a little look at how it is going here,” said Lindback.

“Anyone who wants to come through to make it as a professional in speedway needs to be in England. It is a good school to race in and I really enjoyed it.

“But I have my family and want to see my kids as much as I can so to race over here takes up a bit too much time. That is why I choose not to but we will see what happens in the future.

“I like Poole. It is a good club with great fans and I hope they can fix something so I can come back, even if it is only for a few meetings. It would be really nice to go back there.

“It is not something I can say for certain now but if they can make it happen, then I am very interested.”

From day one, the expectant Poole crowd knew they had a talent on their hands.

Making his Wimborne Road debut on bikes borrowed from Leigh Adams in 2003, Lindback bagged a paid-21 maximum as Pirates crushed Exeter 58-32 in the British League Cup.

Thrust into the Elite League side, he was the only man to remain unbeaten by an opponent in the home leg of the 2004 grand final triumph over Ipswich and became a GP regular for the following campaign.

But by 2006 the waters had muddied. Despite a 7.94 average, missing 17 meetings from August onwards did not go down too well with the Poole faithful.

Ford pleaded with fans to understand their enigma but he was loaned out to Belle Vue where he ended the campaign with a 4.15 average before quitting the sport in 2007.

A low-key return in Sweden soon followed and Lindback was granted a wildcard for the Swedish GP in 2009. He soon returned to the series outright.

He peaked with wins in Italy and Poland in 2012 but finished rock bottom of the list of permanent riders a year later.

The process of rebuilding began once more and having lifted the Speedway World Cup and Sweden’s national championship last season, thrill seekers at the FIM could not resist the urge to hand him another route back.

The decision looks savvy. Five rounds in, Lindback sits fourth on 53 points and now with a third GP triumph under his belt.

Even he is surprised by his form.

“To be honest, I didn’t feel this would be my day,” he added.

“I was nervous. Sometimes you have these days where just don’t know, when you feel something strange but not that it will be your day.

“But when I was putting on my helmet for the first race, my feelings were up and then it was all good.

“Once you get to the semi-final, anything can happen. You just focus on getting in the final, it is all you think of.

“In the final it is different, there is only one place that is important.

“My last GP was really irritating. I went to Prague, a track I normally like, and had this really bad meeting.

“I didn’t know what to believe. Nothing was working for me and with Greg (Hancock) and Tai (Woffinden) getting away, I was very annoyed so it was good to come here and step up to fourth.

“Now, I feel like I am up there and really racing.”

Based on Cardiff, that confidence looks justified.