Heroes back on their bikes

The American pair will be staging a series of demonstration races at Ermolenko's farewell meeting in Wolverhampton on Sunday, March 18.

Penhall will be aboard the bike that won him the 1981 world crown at Wembley - the first of his two championships - while Ermolenko will field the machine which took him to glory at Pocking, Germany in 1993.

"It's going to be a special moment," said Wolves legend Ermolenko. "This is a massive thing for my day, it's very emotional.

"My bike from '93 isn't too bad and I'm sure a lot of fans will want to come and see me race it again."

Penhall, for his part, is eagerly anticipating the chance of a spin at the Green on his championship steed.

"I gave my bike to Eddie Bull, my tuner," said the former Cradley Heath star.

"It hasn't been ridden for 26 years! He's just making sure everything is good with it and giving it the once over.

"I'm really excited to be able to ride that motor-cycle again. It (Wembley) was a night I will never forget.

"I'm so happy to be a part of it - Ole Olsen (runner-up) and Tommy Knudsen (third) rode some tremendous races that night as well. Then you had the whole Wembley factor," added Penhall, recalling the size of a crowd reckoned around the 80,000 mark.

"My children have seen the DVDs - and the VHS tapes as they were then - and said: 'Wow, were there really that many people watching when you used to race, dad?'

"Sure, and 7-8,000 watching league matches. It was the thing to do back then in the late seventies and early eighties."

With American world champions Greg Hancock and Billy Hamill also in the field there will be a reunion atmosphere to the event.

"You have the four American world champions all together and all from the Midlands - Cradley and Wolverhampton," said Penhall. "That's what really inspired me to do it, because it's so local."

Penhall is currently busy with the moto-cross careers of sons Ryan and Connor and has yet to put in some speedway training laps. But he's confident of not letting down the fans despite his 50th birthday coming up soon.

"When the tapes go up, we go out and always give 100 per cent," he said. "We all want to prove something, not only to ourselves but to our fellow competitors. We're giving this a good bunch of laps."

Asked how seriously his fellow Americans would be taking the day, he replied: "They'll be giving it about 75-80 per cent - I'll be doing 100 per cent to keep up!"