by Karsten Bønsdorf, USTA Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Two legendary figures in the world of harness racing were reunited Wednesday night (Aug. 20) at Solvalla. A little bit more than 26 years after their remarkable win in the Elitlopp at the same track, John Campbell was back together with Mack Lobell, the best trotter he had driven, he said.

Kanal 75 photo

John Campbell waves to the fans as he and Mack Lobell paraded down the track.

Mack Lobell, now 30, and Campbell paraded down the track and the fans went wild.

“It was a marvelous experience. I’m not quite sure that Mack Lobell recognized me, but it was great to see how fine he is doing,” Campbell said.

But Campbell not only walked the track at Solvalla, he was driving in two races, and with some racing luck he could have won the Legends race against the likes of Stig H. Johansson, Berndt Lindstedt and Heinz Wewering.

But Campbell was locked in behind leading Johansson and never found racing room down the stretch and finished fourth.

In the main event of the day, The Jubilee Prize, Campbell had the drive behind the Stefan “Tarzan” Melander-trained Standout, who finished strong to finish fourth. Norwegian trotter Support Justice, sired by Kadabra and driven by Geir V. Gundersen, won the race worth $145,000.

On the same card the European Championship for mares was won by Canaka BF, sired by Jobie Tempest and driven by Ulf Ohlsson. The purse for the winner was $95,000.

Some 7,263 fans were at Solvalla on a windy and cold night. That was down around 3,000 from last year.