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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127148
Sam Erm olenko (left) was all sm iles in Sweden, after qualifying for the World Speedway Final. England's Simon Cross (right) didn't make it. World Speedway Championship Inter-Continental Final nes dominate, Ermolen,ko qualifies By J ohn Hipkiss VETLANDA, SWEDEN, AUG. 6 Sam Ermolenko will carry the American colors to the ' WorId Speedway Final in Vo jens next month, convinced he can improve on the third place finishes he has ac hieved twice in th e last 'th ree championships. . d £ hi I . H e m.a e sure o . IS p ace In th e final by taking a cool , calc u la ted route in Vetlanda, shrug, gi ng off a ny . ideas of topping the score-chan a nd sim p ly conce n trating on ge ll ing enoug h poi n ts to see h im over th e last hurdle. H e failed to score in his first hea t when he was taken o u t o n 'the first com er, but t~ree successive second places a nd a single point fro m hi s finalrace w~re enough to clinch hi s spoti n the fina l, III T h is was a much different Ermolenk o from th e tear away cha racter of a few years ago, showing h is determina tio n 10 prove this could be ,. his cha mpio nsh ip year when h e reac hes Voje ns o n Sep tem ber 3. H e dec ided from the outset in Vetlanda to take the safety line. "I had never ridden at Vetla nda before a nd I di d not. kno w what to Denmark's Erik Gundersen, who took third w ith 1 2 point s, is ch ased by Sam Ermolenko (1 2), Peter Ravn (5 ) and John Jorgensen (2). expect, but after my first ride I kn ew it was not my kind of track," Erm olenko sai d. " It is wide a nd flat a nd a rider ca n get lost on th e comers if he moves away from th e inside line. After failing in that operii ng heat, wh en I wa s left so far behind on th e first turn, I kn ew the best th ing for me was to keep my coo l a nd Just . aim . for a qualifying space." After bein g left behind by Swedish r iders , Per J onsso n a n d Conn y Ivarsso n, a n d England 's Si mo n Wigg, Ermolenko was ha ppy to tuck into second pl ace beh ind J ohn Davis the next tim e out. H e was beaten by form er World Champion Erik G undersen in his next heat, but sti ll ma naged second in fro nt of Da ni sh rider Peter Ravn. T he n in his fourth race , ErmoJenko held off th e current tid e-holder H ans Nie lsen to finish second to Kelvin T atum. "T ha t meant I needed on ly one more point fro m my last ri de to make sure of ge tting through to th e final," said the 27-year- old Ca li fornian . " I kn ew I sim p ly had to tak e it easy and th ere was no way I was goi ng to blow my cha nce by ta king risks." For three laps, he was co n tent to luck in behind En glish veteran Chris Monon, a nd although he was overtaken by the to p Dane, Jan Pedersen , th e point he'needed was secure. Ermolenko even had the time a nd concen tration , wi th a li ttle help from . six-time World master Ivan Ma uger, to work o u t his position in th e final betw een races. . " I know I shall have number 14 in the riding order a nd in th ree of my ra ces I shall be on the inside of Gundersen , Tatum and Pedersen , who are three of the main contenders," Ermolenko said . " If I bea t th em, I reckon I ca n afford to drop a point to Nielsen a nd stil l qualify for a three-man runoff to decide the title. I guess it is go ing to be Nielsen, Gundersen .and me all over again , as it was in Bradford lWO yea rs ago." T he Vet landa score-chan ' was head ed by Pedersen , who had four spec tacu lar wins a nd bro ke the track record three tim es before dropping a point to Monon in th e 19th hea t. World Ch a mpion Ni elsen won the runoff to decide second pl ace after finishing with 12 points, as di d Gu ndersen an d Per J onsson. Gundersen too k th e th ird place on the rostru m, ma ki ng i t 1-2-3 fo r • Denmark. Results 1. Jan Pedersen {Denmark} 14 ; 2. Hans Nielsen (Denmark) 12; 3. Erik Gundersen (Denmark) 12; 4 . Per Jonsson (Sweden) 12 ; 5 . Kelv in Tatum (England) 11; 6. Conny Ivar sson (Sw eden ) 9; 7 . John Davis (Eng land) 8; 8 . Chr is Morton (England) 8; 9 . Sam Ermolenko (USAI 7; 10 . ' Simon Wigg (England ) 7; 11. John Jorgensen (Denmark) 7. 17