1. Greg Hancock first came to the United Kingdom at the end of the 1988 speedway season to ride exhibition races with fellow 18-year-old Californian Billy Hamill.
28 Facts About Greg Hancock
1. 2.
Greg Hancock was an instant success for Cradley in the British League.
3.
Greg Hancock won gold medals for the US in the 1992 World Pairs and World Team Cup.
4.
However, due to injury and problems with the American Motorcyclist Association, Greg Hancock was not able to compete in the Individual World Championship until 1993.
5.
Greg Hancock went into his last race needing a victory to become world champion but he finished third in the race and fourth overall on the night.
6.
Greg Hancock rode for the Swedish team Rospiggarna for 15 years from 1995 to 2009.
7.
Greg Hancock continued to ride in Great Britain and Poland domestically.
8.
In 1995, Greg Hancock finished in 4th place in the first year of the Grand Prix.
9.
Greg Hancock won the final round, the British GP at the Hackney Wick Stadium.
10.
In 1996 Hamill won the world title and Greg Hancock finished with the bronze medal in third place.
11.
In 1997 Greg Hancock moved from Cradley Heath to the Coventry Bees.
12.
Greg Hancock won the first GP of the year in Prague and continued the season in the same form.
13.
Greg Hancock did not fare so well and finished the year in sixth place but won the World Team Cup with Hamill and Sam Ermolenko.
14.
In 2002 Greg Hancock won the last Grand Prix round in Australia and finished 6th overall.
15.
Greg Hancock went one better in 2003, finishing in 5th place after again winning the final round, this time in Haamar, Norway.
16.
In 2005 Greg Hancock slipped back to fifth in the world unable to win a GP.
17.
In 2008 Greg Hancock finished fourth overall in the Grand Prix series.
18.
Greg Hancock was on the podium four times, winning the Polish Grand Prix in Bydgoszcz.
19.
Greg Hancock finished the 2009 Speedway Grand Prix season in fourth position and achieved two podium places as runner up at the Danish Grand Prix and winner of the Latvian Grand Prix.
20.
Greg Hancock became the USA Speedway National Champion for the eighth time in 2009 and was named as the Racing Athlete of the Year by the American Motorcyclist Association.
21.
Greg Hancock finished 1st place in the 2011 Czech, British and Nordic Grand Prix.
22.
Greg Hancock secured the 2011 World Championship during the Croatian Grand Prix on 24 September, reclaiming the title after a record 14 years at the age of 41 years and 113 days.
23.
Greg Hancock clinched the 2014 World Championship during the Polish Grand Prix on October 11,2014, and broke his own record of oldest title winner at 44 years and 130 days.
24.
Greg Hancock had a slow start to the 2015 Speedway Grand Prix season in defense of his title, only scoring 14 points in the first two rounds and not gaining a podium finish until his second place in Poland II at the Edward Jancarz Stadium in Gorzow for Round 8.
25.
Greg Hancock then won the Slovenian GP in Krsko in Round 9, finished second in Round 10 in the Scandinavian GP in Sweden, before finishing off the year in style by scoring an unbeaten 21 point maximum in the Grand Prix of Australia at the Etihad Stadium in Melbourne to secure second place in the championship, 16 points behind England's Tai Woffinden and 14 points clear of third placed Nicki Pedersen.
26.
Greg Hancock regained his speedway world title in 2016 as he consistently piled up the points, including victory in the Swedish Speedway Grand Prix in Malilla in July.
27.
Greg Hancock wrapped up the championship after his first ride in the final Grand Prix of the season in Melbourne, Australia.
28.
Greg Hancock was elected into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame on 28 October 2022.