Sudden Sam's tough test

"Sudden Sam" is more than happy to do his bit for old Heathens rival and fellow Californian Billy Hamill, at the Bullet's farewell meeting at Wolverhampton.

But the 1993 world champion was expecting to do only a couple of gentle demo laps on March 22. He was startled to learn that two "old boy" four-man teams would be going at it for the honour of their respective clubs over five heats.

Wolves will field Ermolenko, former world pairs champion Ronnie Correy and stalwarts Graham Jones and Wayne Carter.

Cradley track their own former world kingpin in Hamill, along with brothers Andy and Alan Grahame, and Troy Pratt.

For many fans, particularly those of the long-defunct Heathens, those races will constitute the main business of the evening despite a glittering 20-heat individual event featuring such stars as Jason Crump, Greg Hancock, Leigh Adams and Scott Nicholls.

Ermolenko said: "I thought I was just showing up and doing a couple of laps. I should have started training!

"Who's in the teams? The Grahame brothers are always competing at something. If they are going to be in the Cradley side . . . ding! Tough!

"The first couple of races we will be finding our level. Then people will start pushing it," added the 48-year-old.

"I will have to make an effort to get on the damn bike now! I didn't realise that was going on."

Ermolenko is a veteran of the passionate Wolves-Cradley derby clashes, which all but defined the season for supporters of the clubs.

He said: "The two clubs each used to try to get every little advantage, from how the track was prepared right down to where you could park.

"Each thought the other was trying to pull something, even if they weren't!

"At Cradley you used to have to drive your van right past all their fans. You'd say to your mechanic: 'Just get out there for a minute and do something to distract them.' And then you would run for it!"

Ermolenko feels that modern speedway careers, with riders jetting around Europe during the course of a single week, have seen the old club rivalries go down a notch.

He said: "Nowadays riders are in three or four countries a week, riding with somebody one day and against him the next, meeting in airports and taking the same plane.

"It's meant you have to have a little bit of respect. In the days when we were doing it, it was very much the team that was important.

"It was helmets on and race hard!"