Ermolenko, Correy to Compete at World Final

Two Orange County speedway motorcyclists will be among the field of 16 in the world championship tonight in Warsaw, Poland.

Sam Ermolenko of Cypress and Ronnie Correy of Fullerton will compete in the World Final, in whichthe speedway champion is decided in one night of racing.

Ermolenko, 31, competing in his sixth world championship, finished second in 1985 and was third in 1987 and 1988. Last year, he wound up sixth in the final despite riding with a broken right knee sustained two weeks earlier in a crash at Ipswich, England.

Ermolenko is among the top three contenders for this year’s world title along with Gerd Handberg of Denmark and Britain’s Gary Havelock. Handberg defeated Ermolenko in the semifinal round in Austria.

“I hadn’t lost a race in three weeks before Gerd beat me in Austria,” Ermolenko said. “I feel like I have everything going for me this year. I’m healthy again, I’ve raced in the Polish Speedway League all season and I’m confident in my machinery. This is my year.”

Correy, 25, is competing in his third world championship. He scored only six points in last year’s final in Sweden but teamed with Ermolenko to help the United States win the world best pairs title last month in Italy.

Also competing will be Rick Miller of Reseda, a 10-year veteran of the British Speedway League. Tonight’s race marks only the second time in 11 years that three Americans have qualified for the final.

Only two Americans have won world championships. Jack Milne, co-promoter of the weekly races at the Orange County Fairgrounds, won the final in 1937. Bruce Penhall of Laguna Hills won in 1981 and 1982.