Motor Racing : Ermolenko Gets Two Short Rides After Long Trip

Traveling 8,000 miles from Britain to compete in two nights of speedway motorcycle racing at Ascot Park might seem a bit much. Especially when the total mileage at Ascot will be about 15 miles.

Not so, says Sam Ermolenko, who will lead a six-rider squad for the United States against a World team on Friday and Saturday nights.

Friday’s racing will be on the one-eighth of a mile South Bay Speedway, where the weekly races are held. The action Saturday will move to Ascot’s half-mile oval.

For most of the past two years, Ermolenko, 27, of Cypress has been spending his time competing in the British Speedway League and at major events throughout Europe, as well as a couple of trips home, so traveling is a way of life with him.

As an example, he recently competed in Denmark, Sweden, Denmark again, West Germany, England and here, all in the space of five days.

In England, he is the captain of the Wolverhampton Wolves, one of 10 teams in the British Speedway League, which is the top level of the sport.

“I love the British league, it is very professional and fans are just great,” he said. “We race three times a week and then on many weekends compete in big invitational events in other parts of Europe.”

To meet his hectic schedule, he has a mechanic in Denmark, one in Germany and one in England.

“We have three vans and one will go to Germany, one will go to Denmark and one stays here,” he said. “That means we need three sets of riding leathers, three tool boxes, three helmets and also we must make sure that there is Danish and German money, for example, with them so they can buy gas and eat. All the bills go in hopper when we get back and hopefully we have a little left over,” he said.

Despite his hectic racing pace, the peaceful and leisurely life style of England appeal to him and his wife, Shelley.

“I’m one of the few Americans racing in Britain who is married, and we really appreciate the tranquility,” Ermolenko said. “We have a lot of friends in California, but after a trip here or anywhere, it is always great to get back to England, where everything is green and beautiful and some mornings all you can hear are the birds.”

Ermolenko will compete in a pair of World Finals in the next few weeks. He is the only American in the World Finals at Vojens, Denmark. He also is in the finals of the Long Track Championships in Germany.

“I like my chances even though it is being held in Denmark where the powerful Danes are almost impossible to beat,” he said. “They have the home country advantage, but I think the pressure will be on them to do well and I feel I can slip in and win it.”

In 1985, the only year since mid-1983 that he didn’t compete in England, he came his closest to victory in three tries, tying with Danes Hans Nielsen and Eric Gunderson. However, he drew the outside starting spot in the runoff and finished third, with Nielsen taking the title.

As for this weekend’s races, he thinks the U.S. team, which includes brothers Shawn and Kelly Moran, Ronnie Correy and Randy Green--who all compete in Britain--and Bob Ott of Redondo Beach, should win.

“Friday we should have a big advantage. All of us learned to race on the little tracks we have here,” Ermolenko said. “In Europe, there are no little tracks, they are all at least a quarter-mile and the only rider with experience here (at Ascot) is Phil Collins.”

Collins, an Englishman, has spent most of the past two years riding here. The world team also features Phil Crump of Australia, Proben Eriksen of Denmark, Kai Naimi of Finland, Jeremy Doncaster of England and Armando Castanaga of Italy.

“Saturday should be a lot closer,” Ermolenko said.

The Friday format calls for four riders in each heat, two from each side. Every rider will compete in six races and scoring is by points, 5 for a win, 3 for second, 1 for third and 0 for last. On Saturday, six riders will compete in each race with 5-4-3-2-1-0 scoring. Total points for both days determine the winner.

MOTORCYCLES--The return from England of Mike Faria will highlight Friday’s program at Orange Country Raceway that will feature all the riders not competing in the USA vs. the World. Faria, who won the California State Championship at the old Inland Motor Speedway last year and then took off for a season in the British Speedway League, will make his first start at the new Inland track in Glen Helen Park in San Bernardino next Wednesday night. . . . Motocross riders of the Continental Motorsports Club will hold their regular program Friday night at Ascot Park. . . . A special motocross racing program will be held Friday night at Ventura Raceway as part of the County Fair. . . . The American Motorcyclist Assn. has picked a trio of Southern Californians, Rick Johnson and Ron Lechien of El Cajon and Jeff Ward of Mission Viejo, as the U.S. team in the Sept. 11 Motocross des Nations at Villars-sous-Ecot, France, where the United States is favored to earn its eighth straight victory.

STOCK CARS--Winning isn’t everything dept.: Although he has only one main event victory this year, Fred Estrada of Riverside is only four points behind six-time winner Ron Meyer of Anaheim going into Sunday night’s Winston Pro Stock races at Ascot Park. Meyer has 366 points to Estrada’s 362. Marcus Mallett has a season-leading nine wins and is third at 330. A chain race is also on Sunday night’s program. . . . Mark Norris’ bid for his seventh straight super stock victory at Cajon Speedway ended last Saturday night when he and Larry Lord tangled and went spinning into the infield while running 1-2 on the 27th lap of the 30-lap feature. It gave the victory to Gary Manlow. Bombers will be the only stock cars racing at Cajon this Saturday night. . . . Dan Press of Frazier Park became the ninth different winner in the NASCAR Southwest Tour last Saturday night when he defeated another former Saugus champion, series leader Roman Calczynski, at Stockton. The Southwest Tour drivers compete Saturday night at Silver State Speedway in Carson City, Nev.

MIDGETS--The full-sized midgets and the three-quarter cars of the United States Auto Club make a rare appearance on a paved track Saturday night when both compete on the fast one-third mile oval at Saugus Speedway. Sleepy Tripp of Costa Mesa has a big lead in the full midget standings while Gary Schroeder, Dennis Hart and Ricky Gray are top three in the TQs.

SUPERMODIFIEDS--It will be something old and something new this Saturday night when Cajon Speedway plays host to its first open-wheeled auto race in seven years when the powerful cars of the USAC compete in a 30-lap main event. Sharing the program will be vintage sprint, midget and roadsters of the Western Racing Assn. . . . Defending series champion Bill Vukovich III of Coursegold, Calif., figures to be the driver to beat. Although only a part-time competitor this season, the Indy 500 Rookie of the Year is in the top 10 in the standings. Ken Nichols of San Carlos has a 29-point lead over Mike Swanson of Kingsburg, Calif.

VINTAGE CARS--The 15th Monterey Historic Automobile Races will be presented this weekend at Laguna Seca Raceway. More than 340 machines, ranging from the early 1900s to Formula One cars from 1966 to 1983, will take to Laguna Seca’s 1.9-mile course. Practice for all 15 classes is scheduled for Friday. Racing starts at 1 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. Among the Maseratis on display will be 4CM, 250F and fabled Birdcage models. . . . Also this weekend, there will be more than 2,500 street rods and hot rods--of 1908 to 1948 vintage--on display in the second Goodguys West Coast Nationals at the Alameda Country Fairgrounds in Pleasanton in Northern California.

NEWSWORTHY--Denver’s Mile High Stadium has been selected as the site for the seventh race in the Mickey Thompson Off-Road Gran Prix series on Sept. 17. . . .