Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

til til " lL X Z :I: o -, > III til o ~ o :I: lL (Above) Winner Erik Gunder..n i. fl.nked by H.n. Niel.en (left).nd Lance King. (Below) Gunder.en (6) r.ce. with Kelly Mor.n (10) .nd Niel..n. (Above) In only hi••econd World Fin.l. King w •• one point out. (Below) Kelly Mor.n ch.... Simon Wigg in the third he.t. .World Individual Sl!.eedway Final Gundersen wins, Anzericans 3-4 By John Hipkiss GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN, SEPT. I Denmark's Erik Gundersen and America's Lance King went for the title in the final heat of the World Individual Speedway Final, and it was Gundersen winning and King winding up third behind another Danish rider, Hans Nielsen. American Kelly Moran finished fourth, with his brother 18 Shawn placing mid-pack after he encountered machine troubles in the early going. King, the 21-year-old from Van Nuys, California, had won the Overseas Final six weeks before. Riding with a specially tuned Eddie Bullprepped engine he'd kept under wraps until the final, King only dropped one point in his first four races. When he clashed with Gundersen, his Cradley Heath team captain in the British Speedway League, the winner was assured of the title. However, King missed the gate, Gundersen got away, and the young American's dreams of championship glory were shattered. King, who qualified for his first World Final last year in Norden, West Germany, was disappointed with the result: "I had the title in my grasp and 1made a terrible mistake in my last ride. It was a disaster, because 1 knew' could win it." King won his first two heats in fine style, but then lost his third race to Nielsen. He bounced back to win his fourth ride, but then dropped the final race to Gundersen. There was more bad news for King. He wound up tied with Nielsen at l!l points and lost the run-orr to decide the runner-up spot. "Of course it was disappointing," said King, '" had that title in my hands at one stage; then' went down to second and then to third. "I learned a lot in my first final at Norden and I'm a better rider this year, but it seems 1 have a few more learning years ahead of me." . The starting procedures' of West German referee Gunther Sorber were criticized by King: "He told us before the final that any riders touching the tapes would be warned and then excluded for a second offense, but he was letting guys get away with push· ing all the time. 1 guess I'll have to learn to cheat!" Then King, the youngest rider to reach the Gothenburg final, had a consoling thought. He grinned and ,\dded, "I guess it can't be too bad to be third best in the world at 21." King had a lot more to be happy about than the Moran brothers. Kelly, who was fourth in the 1979 final in Poland and fourth in the 1982 final in Los Angeles, had to be satisfied with fourth again. He scored II points in his five rides, taking four seconds before winning his final event. Kelly might have been closer to the winner had he not had an unfortunate incident in the 12th race when his white helmet covering worked loose. He ripped it orr, but his goggles came with it and for two laps he was gathering the dust of leader Jan Andersson in his eyes. He was almost blind by the time he rode back to the pits, where his brother Shawn helped him wash out his eyes. Shawn Moran, at 22 a year younge.r than Kelly, was one of the favorites going into the final after winning the Inte.rcontinental round. But Shawn was never in the running, having mechanical troubles in his first two rides and only scoring one point. He switched bikes, but had lost too much ground and wound up with a disappointing seven-pOint total. Shawn's consolation could come in West Germany next week when he defends the long track title he won last year after recovering from a serious injury. Watching the final was former titleholder Bruce Penhall, who like Gundersen and King, rode for Cradley Heath. Penhall was one of the first to congratulate Gundersen, who was mobbed by a crowd of fans and helpers as he finished his last race and was tossed high in the air to. signal his success. "You are going to make a great champion," said Penhall to the victor. "I had a great tutor," grinned back the 24-year-old Dane. When Gundersen joined Cradley Heath he was taken under Penhall's wing and he has often paid tribute to the help he received from the California star. But in Gothenburg he was guided and advised by three-time World Champ Ole Olsen, now the Danish team manager. With Nielsen taking the runner-up spot it completed a great season for the Danes, who won the World Team Cup two weeks previously. Of Gundersen's win, Penhall said, "When 1 saw Erik cross the finish line of that last race my heart went out to him because , know how he must have felt. , hope he has a happy year." Penhall also had words of encouragement for King, another protege. "It was a fine performance from Lance. 1 know it may be a disap-

• Cover