3 U.S. Motorcycle Riders Qualify for World Final

For the first time in 10 years, three American speedway motorcycle riders have qualified for the world championship, scheduled for Aug. 31 in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Sam Ermolenko of Cypress and Ronnie Correy of Fullerton were among eight riders who advanced to the World Final in a semifinal race Sunday in Abensberg, Germany. The two riders will join Billy Hamill of Monrovia, who won the other semifinal round Aug. 11 in Rovno, Soviet Union.

Ermolenko, 30, earned his fifth trip to the world championship by finishing fourth in the 16-rider field in Germany with 11 points. Ermolenko finished third in the World Final in 1985 and 1987 but missed qualifying for last year’s race because of a leg injury.

Correy, 24, qualified for his second World Final by finishing tied for sixth with Kelvin Tatum of Britain and Gerd Riss of Germany. The three each had eight points. Correy finished 14th in the 1989 World Final.

Another Orange County rider--Kelly Moran of Huntington Beach--failed to advance. Moran, 30, finished 11th Sunday and scored only six points in five heat races. The top eight finishers advance to the World Final.

The last time three American riders qualified for the World Final was in 1982, when Bruce Penhall won the title and teammates Dennis Sigalos (third) and Moran (fourth) also competed at the Los Angeles Coliseum.

Hans Nielsen of Denmark won Sunday’s meeting with a perfect score of 15 points and was followed by Danes Jan O. Pedersen (14 points) and Tommy Knudsen (12).