| United States | |||||
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| Nation color | White | ||||
| SWC Wins | 5 (1982, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1998) | ||||
| World Championships | |||||
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The United States national speedway team are an international motorcycle speedway team governed by the American Motorcyclist Association. They compete in the major international speedway competitions, including the Speedway World Cup and Speedway of Nations and the former events the Speedway World Team Cup and the Speedway World Pairs Championship.
After Jack Milne and his brother Cordy Milne had finished first and third at the 1937 World Final (with another American Wilbur Lamoreaux finishing second), [1] the U.S. went into the speedway wilderness until the early 1970s, when international riders such as world champions Barry Briggs and Ivan Mauger from New Zealand began visiting the Costa Mesa Speedway in Los Angeles. Scott Autrey's appearance in the 1976 World Final in Poland, was the first American appearance since Ernie Roccio had finished 15th in 1951. [2]
Autrey, who in the mid-1970s had campaigned hard and successfully to have American riders included in the Speedway World Championship, signalled an American resurgence in speedway and was soon followed by others, such as 1981 and 1982 world champion Bruce Penhall, brothers Kelly and Shawn Moran, Bobby Schwartz, Dennis Sigalos, Lance King, 1993 Individual Speedway World Championship world champion Sam Ermolenko, Rick Miller, 1996 world champion Billy Hamill, and four times world champion Greg Hancock all going on to be regarded as some of the world's best speedway riders. [3]
The team has won the Speedway World Team Cup on five occasions, including their first win in 1982 which gave the U.S. the "Triple Crown" of speedway by winning the Individual, World Pairs and World Team Cup in the same year. [4] [5] The U.S. were a major force in the early 1990s, winning 3 out of 4 tournaments. Key riding members of the title wins include Billy Hamill (4 wins), Sam Ermolenko and Greg Hancock (both 3 wins).
The finals of both the 1985 and 1988 World Team Cups were held at the Veterans Memorial Stadium in Long Beach, California. [6] [7]
| Year | Venue | Standings (Pts) | Riders | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 |  London White City Stadium | 1.  United States (37)2.  Denmark (24)3.  West Germany (18)4.  Czechoslovakia (17) | Kelly Moran | 10 |
| Bruce Penhall | 10 | |||
| Bobby Schwartz | 9 | |||
| Shawn Moran | 8 | |||
| Scott Autrey | 0 | |||
| 1990 | Pardubice Svítkov Stadion | 1. United States (37) 2.  England (34)3. Denmark (30)4. Czechoslovakia (19) | Kelly Moran | 12 |
| Sam Ermolenko | 11 | |||
| Shawn Moran | 10 | |||
| Billy Hamill | 4 | |||
| Rick Miller | 0 | |||
| 1992 |  Kumla Kumla Speedway | 1. United States (39) 2. Denmark (33)3. England (31)4. Sweden (17) | Greg Hancock | 11 |
| Sam Ermolenko | 10 | |||
| Billy Hamill | 10 | |||
| Ronnie Correy | 5 | |||
| Bobby Ott | 3 | |||
| 1993 | Coventry Brandon Stadium | 1. United States (40) 2. Denmark (38)3. Sweden (28)4. England (14) | Sam Ermolenko | 11 |
| Bobby Ott | 11 | |||
| Billy Hamill | 10 | |||
| Greg Hancock | 10 | |||
| Josh Larsen | - | |||
| 1998 | Vojens Vojens Speedway Center | 1. United States (28) 2. Sweden (24)3. Denmark (23)4.  Poland (17)5. Germany (14)6. Czech Republic (14)7.  Hungary (6) | Billy Hamill | 16+1 |
| Greg Hancock | 12+5 | |||
| Sam Ermolenko | - |
| Year | Venue | Standings (Pts) | Riders | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Chorzów Stadion Śląski | 1. United States (28) 2.  New Zealand (22)3. Poland (21)4. Czechoslovakia (18)5. Denmark (17)6. England (9)7. West Germany (3) | Bruce Penhall | 14 |
| Bobby Schwartz | 9 | |||
| 1982 |  Sydney Liverpool City Raceway | 1. United States (30) 2. England (22)3. Denmark (21)4. Australia (16)5.  Finland (16)6. New Zealand (13)7. Czechoslovakia (8) | Dennis Sigalos | 18 |
| Bobby Schwartz | 12 | |||
| 1992 |  Lonigo Santa Marina Stadium | 1. United States (23+3) 2. England (23+2)3. Sweden (22)4. Italy (18)5. Denmark (16)6. New Zealand (14)7. Australia (10) | Greg Hancock | 11+3 |
| Sam Ermolenko | 9 | |||
| Ronnie Correy | 3 |
Since the advent of the Speedway Grand Prix era, international caps earned by riders is largely restricted to international competitions, whereas previously test matches between two teams were a regular occurrence. This means that the number of caps earned by a rider has decreased in the modern era. [8]
| Rider | Caps |
|---|---|
| Autrey, Scott | 22 |
| Bast, Bart | 3 |
| Bast, Steve | 5 |
| Burmesiter, Tyson | 1 |
| Chrisco, Keith | 1 |
| Cook, John | 49 |
| Correy, Ronnie | 23 |
| Curoso, Mike | 1 |
| Ermolenko, Charles | 9 |
| Ermolenko, Sam | 51 |
| Faria, Mike | 7 |
| Fisher, Ryan | 8 |
| Green, Randy | 3 |
| Gresham, Steve | 20 |
| Hamill, Billy | 29 |
| Hancock, Greg | 39 |
| Ingalls, Kenny | 3 |
| Ingels, Eddie | 3 |
| Janniro, Billy | 11 |
| Keeter, DeWayne | 2 |
| Kerr, Chris | 3 |
| King, Lance | 47 |
| Kosta, Larry | 4 |
| Lamoreaux, Wilbur | 3 |
| Larsen, Josh | 11 |
| Lucero, Steve | 3 |
| Manchester, Chris | 3 |
| Miller, Rick | 34 |
| Milne, Cordy | 3 |
| Milne, Jack | 3 |
| Moran, Kelly | 47 |
| Moran, Shawn | 74 |
| Nicol, Doug | 4 |
| Odom, Donny | 1 |
| Ott, Bobby | 15 |
| Oxley, Brad | 12 |
| Penhall, Bruce | 34 |
| Pfetzing, Robert | 9 |
| Preston, Ron | 14 |
| Pyeatt, Denny | 10 |
| Schwartz, Bobby | 74 |
| Sigalos, Dennis | 52 |
| Venegas, Charlie | 1 |
| Wells, Ricky | 4 |
| Werner, Brent | 15 |
| Woods, Rick | 3 |
Gregory Alan Hancock is a former professional motorcycle speedway rider from the United States. As of 2023, he was one of only six riders to have won the individual World Championship four or more times.
Hans Hollen Nielsen is a Danish former professional motorcycle speedway rider. He competed in the Speedway World Championships from 1977 to 1999. Nielsen is notable for winning four Speedway World Championship titles. During his career, he won a total of 22 world championships, making him arguably the most successful speedway rider of all time. In 2012, Nielsen was named an FIM Legend for his motorcycling achievements. He later managed the Danish national team.
William Gordon Hamill is an American international motorcycle speedway rider. He is a former Speedway World Champion, winning the title in 1996 and earned 29 caps for the United States national speedway team.
Guy Allen Ermolenko is a former motorcycle speedway rider. During his career he was known as Sam Ermolenko. In 1993, he won the Speedway World Championship.
Kelly Michael Moran was an American professional speedway rider who earned 47 caps for the United States national speedway team. His younger brother Shawn Moran was also a successful speedway rider.
Shawn Moran is an American former professional motorcycle speedway rider who was one of the most popular and talented riders ever to race for Sheffield Tigers. He earned 74 caps for the United States national speedway team.
The World Championship of Speedway is an international competition between the highest-ranked motorcycle speedway riders of the world, run under the auspices of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). The first official championships were held in 1936.
Robert Benjamin Schwartz is an American professional motorcycle speedway rider. He became World Pairs Champion with Bruce Penhall in 1981 and Dennis Sigalos in 1982. He earned 74 caps for the United States national speedway team.
Richard Leonard Miller is a former American international motorcycle speedway rider, and an automotive and motorcycle stuntman. He earned 34 caps for the United States national speedway team.
The 2003 Elite League speedway season was the 69th season of the top division of speedway in the United Kingdom and governed by the Speedway Control Bureau (SCB), in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association (BSPA).
The 2001 Elite League speedway season was the 67th season of top division of speedway in the United Kingdom and in 2001 was governed by the Speedway Control Board (SCB), in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association (BSPA).
The 2000 Elite League speedway season was the 66th season of the top tier of speedway in the United Kingdom. It was the fourth known as the Elite League and was governed by the Speedway Control Board (SCB), in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association (BSPA).
The 1998 Elite League speedway season was the 64th season of the top tier of speedway in the United Kingdom and the second year known as the Elite League, governed by the Speedway Control Board (SCB) in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association (BSPA).
The 1997 Elite League speedway season was the 63rd season of the top tier of speedway in the United Kingdom. It was the first season of a new league known as the Elite League and was governed by the Speedway Control Board (SCB), in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association (BSPA).
The 1994 British League season was the 60th season of the top tier of speedway in the United Kingdom and the 30th and final season known as the British League.
The 1991 British League season was the 57th season of the top tier of speedway in the United Kingdom and the 27th known as the British League.
The 1990 British League season was the 56th season of the top tier of speedway in the United Kingdom and the 26th known as the British League.
Costa Mesa Speedway in Costa Mesa, California, US, is a major motorsports venue credited with the renaissance of motorcycle speedway racing in Southern California. The 185 yards long track hosts both Solo and Sidecar speedway.
The 1996 Premier League season was the 62nd season of the top tier of speedway in the United Kingdom. It was also the second and last edition of two seasons, in which British speedway was competed as a single division. In addition there was a Conference League.
The Vojens Speedway Center is a Motorcycle speedway track located in Vojens, Denmark. The track has been part-owned since its opening by Denmark's first three time Speedway World Champion Ole Olsen.
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