AMA TAPS ERMOLENKO TO CAPTAIN SPEEDWAY TEAM USA; HAMILL AND HANCOCK ALSO NAMED TO SQUAD
AMA TAPS ERMOLENKO TO CAPTAIN SPEEDWAY TEAM USA; HAMILL AND HANCOCK ALSO NAMED TO SQUAD PICKERINGTON, OHIO -- The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) has named former World Speedway Champion Sam Ermolenko as captain of 2002 Speedway World Cup Team USA. Joining Ermolenko will be Billy Hamill and Greg Hancock, also former World Speedway Champions. The 2002 Speedway World Cup, considered to be speedway motorcycling's premier competition for national teams, will take place August 4-10 at several racing venues in Great Britain. Team USA placed fifth in 2001. Also named to Team USA were Ryan Fisher, 18, and Billy Janniro, 22, along with Brent Werner, 28, a veteran of the British Speedway League. Ermolenko won the title of World Speedway Champion in 1993, Hamill in 1996, and Hancock in 1997. The U.S. has won the Speedway World Cup five times since 1982. At age 41, Ermolenko is Team USA's elder statesman. He was a member of Team USA's Speedway World Cup-winning efforts in 1990, 1992, 1993 and 1998. A serious wrist injury, the result of a July 13 crash at an international meeting at Italy, has sidelined the former champion, relegating him to a non-riding role as captain of the 2002 team. "Sam has been in excellent form recently and his injury is a blow to our team's hopes," said Richard Child, serving as Manager of Team USA for the second time. "But even in a non-riding role, his leadership will be vital to the squad." Hamill, 32, has ridden on four Speedway World Cup-winning teams; Hancock, also 32, aided Team USA's 1992, 1993 and 1998 winning efforts. They're the only American riders qualified to take part in the exclusive Speedway Grand Prix Series, where they currently rank among the world's top 10 motorcycle speedway racers. In addition to Ermolenko, Hamill, Hancock, Fisher, Janniro, and Werner -- all of whom are based in Europe -- the AMA also named four U.S.-based riders to Team USA. Eric Carrillo, John Cook, Josh Larsen and Chris Manchester will be available if called upon to ride, and all have experience in international competition. Five riders from each team, selected by the manager 24 hours before a match, will compete in each of the Speedway World Cup's four events. Team USA's first appearance will be on August 6 in Eastbourne, where it will face Poland, Russia and Slovenia. The winning team will advance to the August 10 final round in Peterborough. Of the 12 nations which have qualified for this year's competition, favorites to win the 2002 Speedway World Cup include host Great Britain, defending champion Australia, and 2001 runners-up Poland and Sweden. Defending World Champion Tony Rickardsson captains the Swedish team. Speed Channel, which telecasts the entire Speedway Grand Prix Series, will air tape-delayed coverage of the 2002 Speedway World Cup in the U.S. 2002 SPEEDWAY WORLD CUP SCHEDULE Event 1, Sunday, August 4, Sheffield, England: Australia, Great Britain, Czech Republic and Germany. Winners advance to finals. Event 2, Monday, August 5, Poole, England: Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Hungary. Winners advance to finals. Event 3, Tuesday, August 6, Eastbourne, England: Poland, United States, Russia and Slovenia. Winners advance to finals. Event 4, Race-Off, Thursday, August 8, Peterborough, England: Runners-up from Events 1, 2 and 3, plus two third-place teams with highest point totals. Event 5, World Team Cup Finals: Winners of Events 1, 2 & 3, plus winners and runners-up of Event 4. - 30 - The American Motorcyclist Association, founded in 1924, is a non-profit organization with more than 250,000 members. The Association's purpose is to pursue, protect and promote the interests of motorcyclists, while serving the needs of its members. For more information, visit the AMA website at www.AMADirectlink.com, or call 1-800-AMA-JOIN.
