Wolverhampton legend Sam Ermolenko: Let's fight for Wolves
Wolverhampton legend Sam Ermolenko today gave his backing to the Express & Star’s Save Our Speedway campaign as he encouraged fans to continue “making noise” over the club’s plight.
The former world champion, who spent nearly 20 years racing at Monmore Green, has been left “devastated” by the news speedway will not be welcome at the venue beyond the current season.
Ermolenko, club president and still a familiar face at Wolves meetings, is hopeful a solution can be found to keep the club on track.
He said: “When you consider the fights and the wars the sport had to battle through, even before the pandemic. All the things the sport has been through, the promotion of Wolverhampton has stood up with its boxing gloves on fighting each of these different battles. Now a new battle begins. They have to stand up and let their voice be known.”
Speedway in the Midlands has been hit particularly hard in recent decades with the loss of teams at Cradley, Coventry and Stoke. But Ermolenko believes the return last year to the sport of Oxford, after a 14-year absence, can provide reason for hope.
The Californian continued: “If there is a battle to be found and be won, let Oxford be an example. The people can have some hope that with everyone fighting together, there can be some hope.
“If you don’t yell and scream right now, you never know. Let’s make some noise, keep pushing and see what happens.”
Ermolenko, now 62, rode nearly 550 meetings for Wolves between 1986 and 2004 and is the second highest point scorer in club history behind Peter Karlsson.
He was left “shell-shocked” by Monday’s announcement Monmore owners Entain Group no longer want speedway staged at the venue after this year.
He said: “I’m devastated, as everyone is. You think things are going to roll along from year to year and everything is going to be fine.
“Sometimes the owners of the stadium want to go in a different direction and there is nothing you can do about it. I am gutted for (Wolves promoter) Chris Van Straaten and his family and all of the riders who are going to be unsettled. The sport at the minute seems to be descending again, which is a shame.
“Pretty much the majority of my racing career was spent at Wolverhampton.
“The people welcomed me with open arms and still do to this day. I can walk through the crowd, hang out with everyone and watch the races alongside everyone.
“Their hearts are in it for the right reasons. I love it when I go there and love taking people who have never been to speedway before.
“If it is no longer there, it will leave a huge hole.”
