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- . ... _- .- ... - - ,,- ~ .,-- -~--;_.- ..- ,,-'- ~ -- ------ --_\..- - ~ WOr'ld Championship S~eedway Qualifier' Ser'ies Inter'-Contlinental Final --- I I n( nat e ac oar STORY AND PHOTOS BY JOHN HIPKISS VASTERVIK, SWEDEN, MG. 11 S am Ermolenko is on course for a backdoor entry into the Grand Prix Challenge meeting after finishing seventh in last Saturday's Inter-Continental Final at Vastervik in Sweden. The top six earned automatic spots in the GP Challenge at Krsko in Slovenia on October 13 - the last stepping stone before the 2002 Grand Prix. But it seems certain the seventh and eighth finishers will also qualify due to Joe Screen being injured and Jimmy Nilsen announcing his decision to quit riding at the end of the season. That means the veteran Ermolenko, who won a four-man runoff to determine the seventh and eighth places, and Gary Havelock both former World Champions - are set to benefit by having one last chance to reclaim a Grand Prix place. "We have been told unofficially," said Ermolenko, who only got a spot in the Overseas Final, the previous qualifying round, when Josh Larsen and Ryan Fisher pulled out, "but in the past I have missed out on things by a point here and a point there, so perhaps my luck is changing. I would love the chance to ride in the Grand Prix again. I wouldn't fool myself into thinking I could win it, but l would like to be in there as a spoiler." Flying Finn Kaj Laukkanen, the Nordic Champion, emerged as the winner of the Inter-Continental title, beating Britain's Scott Nicholls in a run-off to pocket his second World Championship trophy of the year. But whereas previous Inter-Continental winners have been afforded an automatic ticket into the next year's Grand Prix series, Laukkanen must also endure the cut-throat experience of the GP Challenge after a change to the qualification rules. Laukkanen, Nicholls, Andreas Jonsson, Sean Wilson, Jason Lyons and Lars Gunnestad was how the top six panned out, with Laukannen capping a memorable afternoon's work when he repassed Nicholls in a run- off for the title after both had logged 12 points. Nicholls, returning to the competitive saddle for the first time in nearly two months following a badly dislocated shoulder, produced a performance rich in courage. His shoulder is by no means 100-percent healed, and when he ran a disappointing third in his opening race, you sensed the handicap might be the falling of his bid for Grand Prix recognition. He dug deep to string together three successive wins, overhauling early leaders Laukkanen and Lyons in the process, and only a benevolent second behind fellow Brit Havelock in his final ride . denied him lifting the trophy. Ermolenko and Havelock both flirted with the termination of their World Championship paths when they scored two and one, respectiveIy, from their first two rides off gates three and four. But they picked themselves up as the meeting progressed, and Ermolenko, who had seven seasons riding for the Vastervik club, made light of the fact he was one of four riders who twice had the graveyard outside grid. A heavy 45-minute cloudburst in the two hours preceding the start looked a serious threat, but the track staff qUickly set about some impressive remedial work, and grading after every two heats ensured the sandytype surface stood up well. There were a variety of passing lines, and the only criticism - and it was a significant one - was the disparity in the gates. Starting off gate four was a deadly disadvantage, and a final count of just 10 points (10 third places and 10 lasts) from the 20 qualifying heats was a revealing statistic. Ermolenko confirmed what others were feeling about the conditions. "I feel the track staff could have done a lot more to have ensured the gates were fairer,"· Ermolenko said. "They had a lot of new dry material they could have used, and I don't believe they put enough effort in." There was a clear intensity about the event, and Ermolenko's aggressive pass for third place on the last lap of heat eight sent fellow American John Cook - and Greg Hancock's borrowed machine - into the fence as Steve Johnston followed Nicholls past the flag. Lyons and Wilson shared the leadership with Laukkanen with six points apiece from two races, and Laukkanen, who had won the Scandinavian Final in June with a IS-point maximum, promptly made it three out of three when he charged around the outside of Ermolenko in heat nine. After three races apiece, it read Laukkanen 9, Lyons 9, Wilson 8 and Nicholls 7 and an impending heat-17 (Left) John Cook (outside) battles with Kauko Nleminen (center) and Lars Gunnestad (left). The aging American speedway veteran was entertaining, but only scored four points. (Right) Ennolenko races Inside Kaj Lukkanen during the event. The Finn went on to claim the top spot on the day. 50 AUGUST 29. 2001 • cue I • n eVIl'S A second chance?: Fonner World Champion Sam Ennolenko may be able to squeeze back Into the World Championship Speedway Grand Prix Series despite finishing one spot out of a qualifying berth at the Inter· Continental Final. Ennolenko finished seventh, but injuries and a retirement could open up a spot In the show. showdown between Lyons and Laukkanen - both Belle Vue riders loomed as potentially decisive. Laukkanen was the first to vainly attempt to buck the gate-four trend in heat 13. Nicholls fired away to overhaul Laukkanen and Lyons at the head of the leaderboard, with Stefan Andersson overcoming the persistent Kauko Nieminen for second as Laukkanen