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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126920
... rIl ::s bD ::s <: "Sudden Sam" Ermolenko (2).runs it in on Neil Evitts but can't get past; Marvyn Cox trails in this action from Bradford. It's Ermolenko on the outside in heat 10, vs. Maryvn Cox, Neil Evitts and Paul Thorp; Evitts won with· Ermolenko second. The top three finishers were Danes Tommy Knudsen (left, third), Erik Gundersen (center, first) and Hans Nielsen (right, second). World Championship Speedway Inter-Contlnental S8ml-FInal Ermolenko makes it to the finals By John Hipkiss BRADFORD, ENGLAND, JULY 20 Sudden Sam Ermolenko, the Maywood, California speedster who surprised everybody by taking third place in the World Speedway Championships last year, is through to the finals again with a fine chance of improving on his 1985 position. Ermolenko made sure by taking fifth spot among the II qualifying finalists in the Imer-Cominental Semi-Final at Odsal Stadium, England, the track where he collected the bronze medal last season, and will now be making his bid for the world crown in Katowice, Poland, on August 30. Ermolenko found himself the only American still left in the championship when Kelly Moran was pulled out a few days before the Odsal date after crashing through a glass partition while he was in Poland for the EdJancarz Testimonial Series. Kelly, whose younger brother Shawn had missed out earlier with a broken leg, severed an anery in his left wrist and was saved from near fatality by the prompt action of English rider Chris Morton, who applied an emergency lOurniquetto stem the bleeding. Moran was rush to a hospital and on his return to England he had LO have an operation lO repair the damaged wrist. He will be out of action for some time, but he was at the Imer-Continental meeting to support his buddy, Ermolenko, whose chances looked bleak after hecoJIeeted only two third places in his opening rides. Ermolenko was riding what he thought to be his best machine, but it was not suited to the rough track conditions and he did nOl have the power to make up ground after two poor starts. In his first heat he struggled to take third place from New Zealander Mitch Shirra and he tailed orr last in his next outing after Australian Steve Baker fell, causing the race LO be sLOpped, and was rerun with only three riders. That was enough warning for Kelly Moran's collision with a hotelroom partition injured his wrist. Sam Ermolenko rides for Wolverhampton in the British League. Ermolenko. He knew he had lO do something fast if he was lO stay in the competition and he gambled on switching LO his stand-by machine. The gamble paid oU. Ermolenko suddenly found his touch, giving British Champion Neil Evitts a fright before senling for second place and then scorching, away from the tapes LO win his founh ride from Sweden's Jimmy Nielsen. That was enough LO see Ermolenko through but another point from his final race gave him a more respectable placing in the scorech.an. He will have lO be more consistem in Poland, but the object of the exercise was to get among those qualifiers and that is just what Ermolenko did. He admitted had had been a bit doubtful when he first saw the track. "It was in a terrible state and I was unlucky enough to be out in the first heat," explained Ermolenko. "I thought I could rely on my number one bike but it wasn't picking up power quickly enough and 1 knew I had to take a chance on my second machine. Once I did that things began to go right. ''I'm just pleased lO get through lO the final. I hope I've now left all my problems behind and I can have a good run in KaLOwice." Ermolenko was not ranked when he took third place in last year's World Final but his perfgrmance for Wolverhampton in the British League this season have established him among the from runners for the title, and he will no longer be under-rated when he gets LO Poland. But standing between the Californian hope and the world crown are the Danes who filled the LOp three places at Odsal. Currem World Champion Erik Gundersen, aiming LO complete his hat-trick of titles this year, was in brilliant form to win each of his five races in true champion style. The only man LO threaten his supremacy was fellow Dane Hans Nielsen when they clashed in the third round, but Gundersen, with his impeccable gating technique, was able to hold oU his rival at the first turn. Although Nielson stayed hard on his heels all the way he could not find a way through as Gundersen blocked every move. The race virlLlally decided lOp place in the scorechart. Gundersen was not troubled in any of his other races and lOok the lmer-Continental title for the first time. Nielsen took full poims from his other rides to finish runnerup and third spot wem to another Dane, Tommy Knudsen of Coventry. Denmark had a founh qualifier in Jan Pedersen, Gundersen's British League c1ubmate at Cradley and the quanet will form a powerful Danish line-up for the World Team Cup which is lO be decided at Odsal next month. England finished with four finalists, headed by Evius who had the advantage of riding for league club Bradford at Odsal week by week. Kelvin Tatum, Chris Morton and Marvyn Cox will be joining him at Katowice but there will be no place for Jeremy Doncaster or for Second Division rider Paul Thorp who was a late substitute for Kelly Moran, having won first reserve place in the previous round. The Poland line-up will be completed by Shirra, the sale New Zealand survivor, and the only Swede, Nilsen, together with the five qualifiers from the Eastern Zone semifinals. • Results QUALIFIERS: 1. E. Gundersen. 15 pts.; 2. H. Nielsen, 14; 3. T. Knudserr: 12; 4. N. Evins. 11; 5_ (TIEl K. Tatum/Sam Ermolenko/J. Nilsen. 8; 8. (TIEl M. Shirra/ J. Pederson/C. Monon. 7; 11. M. Cox, 6. NON-QUALIFIERS: 12. J. Anderason. 6: 13. (TIEl P. Thorp/J. Boneoster. 4: IS. S. Baker. 2; 17. T. Nilson, 1.