5. Sam Ermolenko
Tough as nails, Sam Ermolenko got into speedway in the early ‘80s. In 1984, he found himself in the British League, but in 1985 he stayed home, and yet he still made the World Final–many predicted he could not do that while racing on Southern California’s small tracks. He not only did it, but he darn near the World Championship in a three-rider runoff with Danish legends Erik Gundersen and Hans Nielsen! Eight-years later, Ermolenko did win the World Championship. He also won the British League Riders Championship, a race many believed was the toughest race in the world at the time, four-times.
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