Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

~ ~ I~ :I: Z :I: 0 -, > '" 0 Vl .... 0 ~ :I: 11. 00 0') ....... ~ 0') >- C\l ~ High scorer Dennis Sigalos leads Simon Wiggs. USA teammate Bobby Schwartz and Kelvin Tatum in the 10th race. John Cook (in front) and lance King lead Simon Wigg in the race that secured the victory for the Americans. England/USA Speedway Match Race Series: Round 1 (left to' right) Kenny Carter. Simon Wigg. Shawn Moran and Sam Ermolenko make for a tight race as they hit turn one. By John Hipkiss and second [or '15-1 advaI1lage. A[ter [our races the mericans led by [our points. A[ler rive races. though. the score was tied when England's Peter Collins and Dave Jessup oUlsmarted Cook and King [or Iheirown5-1. The [ollowing race was a 3-3 splil. and then the l .S. look the upper hand when Sigalos and chwanl scored a SWINDON. ENGLAND. APR. H ,.,- I. America drew fir t blood in the five-race series, winning 58-50 on a slick track at Swindon. On a hot and dusty day, the opening pair- Moran's aforementioned excl usion in race nine allowed the British side to dra w e\'en aga in. and the score wa 27-27 mthe haHway poinl. The ex-colonials broke lhe lie and slaned building a lead when they won one hea l by a score o[ 5-1 and twO by scores o[ 4-2, and led by eight poinls going inw the 14th race. England, down but nOI OUI.. came back witb 4-2 and 5-1 vicwrie' in the next two heats, with Moran suffering an engine [ailure in one o[ the losses. The wins brought England 10 within LwO, 46-44. With three races LO go the stage was set [or yet another lose finish, especially when race 16 was a 3-3 Sl IiI. Cook and King sewed up the vicwry [or the USA in the penultimate race when they scored a 5-1 over Caner and Simon Wigg. The Americans wrapped it up with a 4-2 win [or the Yanks slick at Swindon ing 'of learn caplain Dennis Sigalos and Bobby Schwartz raised a few eyebrows. Since lhey are lwo of America' big- 12 gest guns, normal stralegy would have them each teaming with a panner o[ lesser fame. However, the pair did lhe most da'mage to the English cause. with Sigalos scoring 17 o[ a possible 18 poi illS, and Schwartz addinga hardearned six. Sigalos dropped h'is only poiI1l 10 English team captain Kenny Caner in the first race. From then on. no one could catch '·Siggy." When he and Carter met [or the second time. Caner was excluded [or delayillg Ihe stan when he nudg('d the rapes. A new rule says lhaL a rider can be excluded [rom a heat [or rolling into or away [rom the tapes: nOI necessarily break· ing them. Mora n su[[ered a si m ilar excl usion one race earlier when he rolled ilito the lapes. The only lime the Americans were behind in the event was \\·hen lhey losl the [irsl race 4-2. John Cook and Lance made lhat up and more in the s cond race when lhey [ini hed first final score o[ 58-50. W h iIe Ihe most poi I1lS ca me [rom Ihe Sigalos Schwanz pairing. there wasn't a weak link in the Yankee chain. King, \\'hil u[[ering through clutch problems. was an able panner [or Cook. Morgan showed superb style, winning all [our races he [inished. His panner was debut man Sam Ermolcnko, who will ride [or Poole in the Brilish League this year. and Ermolenko handled himseH well in his first iI1lernationalteam appearance. scoring [our "aluable poi illS. Just back [rom all injury. reserve rider Rick ;\liller had but one ride(on Moran's exclusion) and sCOl'ed no points. Fellow re erve Steve Lucero was not called upon. For England. the biggest letdown was lhe non-appearance of former World Champ Mike Lee. who didn't have an engine to use after blowing one up the night before. England relied on experienced riders like Chris Monon (13 poil1ls). Jessup (12) and Caner (10). • Results USA. 58: Dennis Sigalos (17); John Cook (12); Shawn Moran (12); Lance King (7); Sam Ermolenko 14); Rick Miller (0); Steve tucero (DNR). ENGLAND. 50: Chris Morton 1'3); Dave Jessup I 12); Kenny Carter (1 0); Simon Wigg (7); Peter Collins(6); Phil Collins (2); John Davis (0); KelvinTatum (0).

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