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Sam
Ermolenko
Full
Name: Guy Allen Ermolenko.
Born: 23 November 1960, Maywood, California, United States of America.
“Sudden
Sam” returns to his spiritual home at Monmore Green in 2003
for his fourteenth season in a Wolves racejacket. By common consent,
the spectacular Californian is the greatest rider in the club’s
history and he holds virtually every club record available. While
he is undoubtedly past his very best, it would take or a very brave
(or foolish) person to write off the 42 year old speedway legend.
Whether 2003 proves to be Sam’s Monmore swansong remains to
be seen, as he has consistently denied that he has any immediate
plans for retirement. Welcome home Sam!
Career
Details
Motor Cross was Sam’s first love, but a serious accident on
a road bike at the age of 16 left him with terrible leg injuries
which took three years to recover from, effectively ending his career.
He decided to try his hand at speedway in 1981 and dressed in red
leathers he managed to get regular rides at Costa Mesa billed as
“The Mad Russian”. He caught the eye of Poole promoter
Brian Maidment in 1982, and he was persuaded to come to England
for a handful of meetings at the end of the following year. Sam
impressed enough to be invited back for a full season at Wimbourne
Road in 1984, where his thrilling style and outgoing personality
quickly made him a big favourite with Poole fans.
The
Poole promotion went bust at the end of the 1984 season, and Sam
didn’t ride in Britain the following year. However, 1985 was
the season Sam really grabbed everyone’s attention with a
superb run in the World Championship, culminating in a shock 3rd
place at the Bradford World Final. So just four years after taking
up the sport, Sam had come within one race of winning the world
title – he lost a three man run off for the title with Erik
Gundersen and Hans Nielsen – two riders he would have a huge
rivalry with in years to come. This made Sam a very hot property
for British promoters for the 1986 season, and he came very close
to signing for Coventry Bees. However to his eternal credit, Wolves
promoter Peter Adams convinced Sam to come to Monmore Green –
and this was to prove the best decision Peter made in his brief
spell as owner of the club.
Sam
made an instant impression at Monmore Green, taking no time at all
to settle in. Wolves had a world class number one, and one of the
most exciting riders in the sport’s history. For the next
ten years he was the undisputed king of Monmore Green, yet his career
was a rollercoaster ride of highs and lows. After a superb first
season, Sam’s world almost came crashing down in August 1987.
An England v USA Test Match at Hackney ended in uproar when the
American team threatened to walk out in protest at the track conditions.
The match was eventually postponed due to rain, and in the confusion
Sam left the stadium without taking a drugs test. Despite protesting
his innocence in what appeared to be a genuine mistake, he was suspended
from British Speedway for fifteen months by the Speedway Control
Board. This didn’t affect his World Championship hopes, and
he again finished on the rostrum after a two day final in Amsterdam.
Ironically, shortly after the final, Sam sustained a broken wrist
and ankle following a fall in an open meeting at Vojens, and his
season was over anyway!
Fortunately,
the ban was lifted on appeal and Sam was free to resume his Wolves
career in 1988, where he amassed over five hundred points for the
club for the first time. 1989 started even better, Chris Van Straaten
had reshaped the Wolves team, and in July they were flying high
at the top of the table. Then on July 16th 1989, disaster struck.
Sam was involved in a high speed crash at Herxheim, West Germany
in the Long Track World Semi Final and suffered horrific injuries,
which included a broken thigh, two leg fractures, serious knee damage,
a broken wrist, broken nose and facial injuries. His speedway career
seemed to be over, but Sam battled back, and tackled his rehabilitation
with the same determination that he tackled his racing.
On
June 18th 1990, Sam made a very tentative return at Monmore Green
in the Ladbroke Olympique. He found the tight turns at Monmore difficult
to adapt to with his leg injury, yet just five days later at Cradley
Heath he scored a superb 12 points – Sam the Man was back!
His value to the club at this stage can best be explained by Wolves’
finishing positions in the League at this stage. At the time of
his 1989 injury, Wolves were top of the table. Without Sam, they
just missed out on the title, finishing 2nd to Oxford. At the time
of his return in 1990, Wolves were bottom of the table, yet after
his return they climbed to 2nd once more.
By
the following season, Sam appeared to be virtually over his injuries.
His leg would certainly never be 100%, but riding with a knee brace,
Sam adapted his style, becoming more measured and patient on the
track. 1991 was Sam’s, and Wolves’ best season to date.
He formed a superb partnership at the top of the side with fellow
Californian Ronnie Correy , and Sam was an inspirational captain
as Wolves claimed their first ever British League title. He finished
the season with a near eleven point average, winning the Division
One Riders’ Final at Belle Vue for good measure, and on an
emotional night at Monmore in October, he paraded his League Riders
title before the home crowd, and then accepted the League Championship
on behalf of the club – nights don’t come much better!
Sam
enjoyed another superb season for Wolves in 1992, captaining the
club to victory in the Premiership and Gold Cup finals, although
injuries restricted the club to 5th in the League table. 1993 was
to prove the pinnacle of Sam’s speedway career – yet
ended in despair. As a strong Wolves side raced away at the top
of the table, Sam was enjoying his greatest ever season. He amassed
an amazing 659 points for the club, averaging well over eleven points
per match. In September 1993, at a small German venue called Pocking,
Sam finally scaled his Everest, as he was crowned World Champion
after a controversial final. He returned to England the following
day to parade his World Title at Cradley, Monmore and Poole. The
win seemed to inspire Sam to even greater form as he reeled off
maximum after maximum. The day after turning in an awesome 21 point
maximum at Bradford, Sam crashed in Heat 1 of the return at Monmore
Green, catching a fence post and breaking his left leg. This resulted
in yet more metalwork for the leg, and a Wolves team cruelly robbed
of Sam, Ronnie Correy, Charles Ermolenko, Graham Jones and Phil
Ashcroft lost a heart breaking title decider to Belle Vue.
The
leg injury continued to bother him in 1994, but he still scored
over 400 points for Wolves for an average of almost ten. He celebrated
his World Championship year with a successful testimonial at Monmore
Green – the first Wolves rider to stage such an event. Sam’s
skills as a team rider were reaching epic proportions by this stage,
and were never better illustrated than in 1995. Sam scored a staggering
630 points for Wolves, which included an amazing 66 bonus points
as his skills at shepherding home an often inexperienced partner
were demonstrated to the full. His thirteen maximums that year all
included at least one bonus point. However, changed at International
level were afoot that would have a big effect on Sam’s Wolves
career. He bounced back from a disappointing World Final in 1994
to finish 3rd in the inaugural Grand Prix series in 1995. Sam was
excited by the prospect of the GP’s, and wanted to put more
time and effort into it in 1996. This obviously concerned Van Straaten,
and after early talks between the two had proved inconclusive, CVS
made the brave decision to plan the Wolves side without him.
The
change in emphasis backfired badly for Sam in 1996. He slipped to
9th in the GP standings, which meant elimination from the 1997 event,
after a final round where he appeared to concentrate more on helping
compatriot Billy Hamill to win the title rather than defending his
own position. Sam had a couple of spells for Sheffield in the British
League, where he rode very well, but ironically without him Wolves
enjoyed their best ever season, winning the league and cup double.
Understandably, CVS opted to keep his team virtually intact for
the defence of the title in 1998, and Sam had a full season on loan
to Belle Vue. This was the first sign that Sam’s form might
be slipping slightly. He found the going tougher in the newly formed
Elite League, and despite scoring over 400 points for the Aces,
his average slipped to the eight and a half point mark.
1998
saw a return to Monmore Green, but it was a generally unhappy year
for Sam and Wolves. His average dropped by another point as he struggled
with a succession of machine problems. The year ended in controversy
as a vital K.O.Cup Semi Final at Coventry ended in heavy defeat
for Wolves, with Sam and Wolves number one Mark Loram scoring just
seven points between them. Van Straaten accused Sam of being ill
prepared for the club’s most vital meeting – and Sam
pointed the finger at the disappointing Loram. The year ended in
seven consecutive defeats, and Sam’s Wolves career appeared
to have ended on a very low note.
But
as the critics began to write him off, Sam’s career received
a kick start with a move to Hull Vikings in 1999. With his ex-Wolves
team mate Graham Jones as team manager, Sam revelled in the spotlight
as Sky TV showed live coverage of league racing for the first time.
Sam became one of their expert summarisers, and even commentated
on one race at Hull that he actually competed in (and won!). His
form improved considerably, pushing his average up to 8.60 as he
even outscored team mate Joe Screen to win Rider of the Year accolades
on Humberside.
However,
the Vikings flirtation with the Elite League ended after 1999, and
with Wolves suffering a nightmare wooden spoon season, a return
to Monmore Green for a third spell with the club was inevitable.
The 2000 season continued Sam’s speedway renaissance as he
was reunited with Ronnie Correy at the top of the Wolves’
averages, and won a third Overseas Final title at Poole in June.
But he suffered another huge injury blow in front of a live TV audience
at Monmore on July 10th. On a rain affected track, Sam was the victim
of the reckless riding of Ipswich's Jason Bunyan, and both riders
suffered serious injuries. Sam's head injury thankfully proved less
serious than first appeared, but a broken wrist kept him out of
the saddle for two months, and ended his hopes of a return to the
Grand Prix series.
2001
was another good season for Sam. Although his average slipped a
little, he was still more than capable of rising to the occasion,
and he was often called on to team up with close friend Mikael Karlsson
in an amazing succession of last heat deciders, particularly at
Monmore Green. At the age of 40, Sam had still not given up hope
of regaining a place in the Grand Prix series, but his hopes of
qualification were cruelly ended after a clash with ex- Wolves team
mate Nicki Pedersen in the Grand Prix Challenge left him with a
fractured vertebra and his season was over.
At
the end of the season, Chris Van Straaten made the controversial
decision to release Ermolenko for the 2002 season. Although many
fans strongly opposed the move, Wolves went on to win the Elite
League title in a thrilling Play Off final at Eastbourne. Sam returned
to Manchester for a second spell with Belle Vue. After a very slow
start to the season where his back injury appeared to affect him,
Sam was riding into form when yet another injury – a broken
hand – took a big chunk out of his season. Sam did ride into
good form after his return, and made sure he was not forgotten at
Monmore Green following a fine guest performance for Wolves at Peterborough,
and two match winning outings guesting for Oxford against them!
This time though, it appeared his Wolves career had surely ended.
Recent
events have again proved that to be premature. A late increase in
the points limit has allowed CVS to offer the final 2003 team place
to Sam. Van Straaten has stressed that he sees Sam’s role
in the Wolves team as little more than a 6 point second string,
but his effect on the younger members of the side, and his ability
to rise to the big occasion still make him a vital team member.
2003 promises to be another fascinating season for Sam and Wolves.
Sam
Ermolenko |
|
M |
R |
P |
BP |
T |
Ave |
F |
P
|
1983 |
Poole |
D1 |
4 |
16 |
15 |
2 |
17 |
4.25 |
0 |
0 |
1984 |
Poole |
D1 |
41 |
177 |
268 |
29 |
297 |
6.71 |
0 |
0 |
1985 |
Did
not ride
|
1986 |
Wolves |
D1 |
39 |
184 |
407 |
40 |
447 |
9.72 |
3 |
8 |
1987 |
Wolves |
D1 |
27 |
127 |
292 |
21 |
313 |
9.86 |
2 |
2 |
1988 |
Wolves |
D1 |
41 |
226 |
504 |
27 |
531 |
9.40 |
2 |
3 |
1989 |
Wolves |
D1 |
16 |
80 |
179 |
18 |
197 |
9.85 |
1 |
3 |
1990 |
Wolves |
D1 |
24 |
133 |
269 |
26 |
295 |
8.87 |
0 |
3 |
1991 |
Wolves |
D1 |
27 |
143 |
364 |
20 |
384 |
10.74 |
5 |
8 |
1992 |
Wolves |
D1 |
28 |
151 |
368 |
19 |
387 |
10.25 |
5 |
4 |
1993 |
Wolves |
D1 |
43 |
237 |
627 |
32 |
659 |
11.12 |
8 |
9 |
1994 |
Wolves |
D1 |
31 |
166 |
388 |
20 |
408 |
9.83 |
6 |
3 |
1995 |
Wolves |
D1 |
41 |
243 |
564 |
66 |
630 |
10.37 |
0 |
13 |
1996 |
Sheffield |
D1 |
19 |
104 |
244 |
9 |
253 |
9.73 |
1 |
2 |
1997 |
Belle
Vue |
D1 |
38 |
202 |
410 |
18 |
428 |
8.48 |
1 |
1 |
1998 |
Wolves |
D1 |
44 |
243 |
397 |
54 |
451 |
7.42 |
0 |
2 |
1999 |
Hull |
D1 |
35 |
180 |
361 |
26 |
387 |
8.60 |
0 |
3 |
2000 |
Wolves |
D1 |
27 |
129 |
234 |
22 |
256 |
7.94 |
0 |
0 |
2001 |
Wolves |
D1 |
32 |
157 |
267 |
21 |
288 |
7.34 |
0 |
0 |
2002 |
Belle
Vue |
D1 |
27 |
128 |
181 |
23 |
204 |
6.38 |
0 |
0 |
Career
Total |
584 |
3026 |
6339 |
493 |
6832 |
9.03 |
34 |
64 |
Wolves
Total |
420 |
2219 |
4860 |
386 |
5246 |
9.46 |
32 |
58 |
Mark
Rowe
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