THEIR TICKET BACK TO EUROPE . . . : . . . American Final Favorites Are Three Veterans From British Speedway

Bobby Schwartz thinks he has an advantage riding on new, soft-knobby tires.

Shawn Moran is basing his chances on a bike powered by a prototype, Italian-built engine.

Lance King is hoping a cut on his left ring finger won’t slow him down.

Schwartz, Moran and King are the leading contenders in the Nissan American Final championship, a speedway motorcyle race that begins at 8 tonight in Veterans Stadium at Long Beach.

The race is the first step toward reaching the World Final. Five U.S. riders will advance from tonight’s 16-rider field to the Overseas Final in Bradford, England on July 14. The Overseas Final serves as the last qualifier for the World Final, which will be August 31, also at Bradford.

American riders competing in the British Speedway League are considered the favorites on the sprawling Long Beach track where the methanol-burning, brakeless motorcyles reach speeds up to 80 m.p.h.

Schwartz, Moran and King are veterans of the British circuit, although King did not compete in Europe this season.

Schwartz, who lives on Balboa Island during the off-season, is the defending American champion after ending four years of frustration by scoring a perfect 15 points last year. He failed to advance the previous three years.

Schwartz, who arrived at a Wednesday practice session with nine soft-knobby tires, claimed they would give him a decided advantage on the slick track.

“Nobody else has these,” Schwartz said. “I bought as many as I could find and brought them over here from England. With so many riders equal in this race, you need any advantage you can find.”

Shawn Moran, 22, of Huntington Beach, thinks he’s found the winning formula with an Italian-built, four-valve engine Erik Gunderson used to win the 1984 world championship.

Moran, the 1983 World Long Track champion, won the semifinal round of the World Best Pairs championship last weekend in England with 15 points. Moran said the new engine is built for the sweeping turns on the Long Beach track.

“I’m really happy because I’ve got a good bike,” Moran said. “In the past, I’ve had some equipment problems going into this race, but I’m confident I can win this year.”

Moran and Schwartz had the fastest lap times in Wednesday’s practice session--Moran at 17.62 seconds, Schwartz at 17.63.

King, 21, of Fountain Valley did not practice Wednesday because he lacerated his left ring finger in a collision with Kelly Moran, Shawn’s brother, at the Orange County Fairgrounds eight days ago. King will use a plastic brace fitted for his injured finger so he can compete tonight.

“I’m concerned because we’re talking about my clutch hand where you need that special touch on the starts,” he said. “If it was my throttle hand, I could just tape it straight.”

King plans to use the same engine that enabled him to finish third in thew world championship last year.

“I’ve had my bike ready for a month,” King said. “I set aside the engine that I used in last year’s World Final. I’ve only ridden with the engine in five meetings and it’s been a winner every time.”

King, who has qualified for two consecutive World Finals, already has begun the preparations for the Overseas Final.

“I’m having a new bike built for me in England,” he said. “That way if I get through this round, I’ll have a new bike for the next round plus the two bikes I already have in England.

“I’m a little nervous about this race. It’s the toughest qualifier with 9 or 10 riders who have an excellent chance of winning. I’d have to say that Shawn Moran is the favorite because he has been riding so well in England and Bobby (Schwartz) always rides well at Long Beach.”

Another rider who seems to be peaking is Rick Miller of Reseda. Miller had equipment problems earlier this year, and was dropped to a reserve rider for Coventry in the British Speedway League.

But after purchasing a Weslake engine built by veteran English mechanic Eddie Bull, Miller has been scoring well in league matches over the past two weeks.

“This is my third time in a qualifier, and I’ve never felt more ready,” Miller said. “I feel I’m peaking at just the right time. The last two weeks, I’ve been getting good starts and scoring well.”

A good start is important at Long Beach. There has been very little passing in previous meetings. Generally, the rider who is ahead on the first turn wins a four-lap heat.

“Long Beach is so much bigger than a track like Costa Mesa (190 yards), so the starting gate isn’t so important,” rider Sam Ermolenko said. “There’s so much distance between the starting gate and the first turn, it doesn’t matter if you’re on the pole or the outside.

“But the main thing is that first corner. Last year, I had a slow motor and couldn’t catch up to the faster riders. You need the quickness off the line to win here.”

Ermolenko, of Cypress, rode in the British Speedway League last year but stayed home this season, and has become Southern California’s top points rider.

“I gave myself three weeks to learn the other riders and then decided to go for it,” he said. Ermolenko recently won $1,800 at Costa Mesa for winning both the handicap and scratch main events.

Speedway Notes Each rider will compete in five, four-lap heat races on a 440-yard course tonight with three points awarded for a win, two for a second-place finish and one for third. There are several rider changes for the program. . . . Dubb Ferrell, John Sandona and Buddy Robinson are out of the lineup and have been replaced by Mark Dwyer, Jim Lawson and Gene Woods. The reserve riders are Mike Delacy and Pat Linn of northern California. Ferrell recently announced his retirement; Sandona suffered a broken collarbone at San Bernardino, and Robinson has yet to receive a doctor’s release after he broke his leg last season. . . . The World Team Cup also will be staged at Long Beach on Aug. 10 and two-time world champion Bruce Penhall will serve as the U.S. team manager. Penhall has yet to select the team, but it looks as if Kelly and Shawn Moran, Lance King, John Cook and Bobby Schwartz will represent the U.S. The U.S. is expected to face Denmark, England and West Germany in the final. . . . Shawn Moran and Schwartz will represent the U.S. in the World Best Pairs championship June 16 at Poland. . . . The 16 riders tonight will not only be contesting for a possible world championship berth, but the top two riders will be seeded into the U.S. Championship scheduled for Oct. 12 at the Orange County Fairgrounds.