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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127596
esnED~~iliThm~ _&_~ ~ ~ Injured Ronnie Correy helped celebrate the win which was dedicated to him. World Champion Sam Ermolenko Oeftl defeated arch rival Hans Nielsen (right) in the final heat to clinch the World Team Cup. Josh Larsen (center) kept the USA in the hunt by winning heat 17 while Denmark's Brian Karger Oeft) failed to score. U wins sec straig tW Team C SA ond h orld up COVENTRY, ENGLAND, SEPT. 19 o rld Speedway Champion Sam Ermolenko recovered from an opening setback in the World Team Cup final at Coventry and bounced back in great style to make sure the USA retained the title. It was sweet revenge for Ermolenko to clinch the victory in a last-heat decision against Danish rival Hans Nielsen, who had accused the American of unsportsmanlike conduct afte r he collected the individual crown in Germany W 24 last month. Nielsen made his poin t clear in the opening heat when he cut across Ermolenko in the first tum, causing him to lose control and slide in to the safety fence. With Sweden's Tony Rickardsson also tak ing a tumble, Ger man referee Jurgen Froschauer called all four riders back for a restart. But Ermolenko, suffering from the effects of the fall , could . only finish third behind Nielsen and England's Joe Screen. Nielsen's success inspired the rest of the Danish squad, who went on to score three successive wins which gave them a seven-point lead after four races. But their dominance didn 't last. Despite the fact that N ielsen was in immaculate form and was unbeatable in his next three outings, his colleagues began to falter while the American challenge grew stronger. Ermolenko matched Nielsen in the standings, getting good support from Billy Hamill and Greg Hancock. And while Bobb y Ott fad ed, Jo sh Larsen proved a reliable substitute. Even so, the Danes were still three points ahead after 16 races. It wa s Larsen who gav e the American team the extra boost they needed when he stepped in for Ott in heat 17 and raced away from Swedish rider Henrik Gustafsson while Denmark's Brian Karger tailed off last behind England's Kelvin Tatum. Denmark and the USA were now even. Sweden and a despairing England were out of contention, and the U.S. team went ahead for the first time in the ne xt heat. Although Hancock had to . take second place behind 1992 Worl d Champion Gary Havelock, Danish rider John Jorgensen failed to score. Team USA w as tw o po ints ahe ad , but the situ ation changed again in the following race when Tommy Knud sen stoppe d the Danish slide , scoring the win whi le Hamill w as held off by English reserve Chris Louis. The scen e was set for the last heat cliffhanger. The lineup was the.same as for the opening race, but this time it was the ice-cool Ermolenk o who grabbed the fir st turn initiative, racing away and lea ving Nielsen to do the ch asi ng . N ielsen, unbeaten at that stage, tried hard to close the gap, but he was clearly rattled. He could see his hopes receding with every lap, and when Rickard sson took advantage of his uncertai nty, drivin g past him on th e back s traight, America 's victory was assu red. It was th e USA 's third w in in the competition in four years, emphasizing their suprem acy in world sp eedway , and Ermolenko was tossed in the air by his delighted teammates after ridin g triumphantly back to the pits. The riders had said before the meeting that they de sperately wanted to retain the title as a tribute to the injured Ronnie Correy, who had broken his back racing in Sweden two weeks earlier. Correy was there in his wheelcha ir to take part in the celebrations. Sweden, who have not held the cup since 1970, mad e their bid too late and finished 12 points down on the winners, but they did much better than England, who won only one of 20 heats and picked up a meager 14 points. It was a disaster for the Brits on their home turf and English speedway, from rider·s to administrators, will come under severe scrutiny during the winter recess. l:N Results 1. USA 40 (Sam Ennolenko 13. Billy Hamill 10. Greg Hancock 9, Josh Larsen 5, Bobby Ott 3); 2. Denmark 38 (Hans Nielsen 13, Tommy Knud 12. John Jorgensen sen 8. Brian Karger 5); 3. Sweden 28 (Tony Rickardsson 9, Peter Karlsson 7. Per Jonsson 6. Henrik Gustafsson 6); England 14 (Ice Screen 5. Gary Havelock 4, Kelvin Tatum 2. Chris Louis 2. Martin Dugard I) .