IN
THE
WIND
P32
Hancock Calls It A Career
O
ne of America's greatest
racing champions is calling
it a career. Four-time Speedway
World Champion Greg Hancock,
from Costa Mesa, California, an-
nounced his retirement from pro-
fessional racing on February 15.
"Greg Hancock is among the
most successful competitors in
not just motorcycle racing, but
in all of motorsports," said AMA
President and CEO Rob Ding-
man. "His four world titles rank
him among the greatest riders of
all time, a feat amplified by the
fact his world-champion-caliber
performances spanned four de-
cades. We thank Greg for being a
gracious and successful repre-
sentative of America on the world
stage, and we wish him well in a
much-deserved retirement."
Hancock, 49, won his most re-
cent FIM Speedway World Cham-
pionship in 2016. His other FIM
Speedway titles came in 2014,
2011 and 1997. In the United
States, he won eight AMA Speed-
way National Championships.
Hancock also won FIM Team and
Pairs World Championships, as
well as many European domestic
league titles during his career.
He was named Cycle News 2011
Rider of the Year after earning
his second FIM Speedway World
Championship an impressive 14
years after the first.
"I want to extend my sincere
gratitude to everyone at the
AMA and the FIM for providing
me the many years of incredible
speedway racing, which basically
became my life school," Hancock
said. "Although I am stepping
away from competing, I do not
plan to exit the scene. I have
plans that will keep me close to
the sport, and we'll see where
that goes in the weeks ahead."
CN
Four-time FIM Speedway
World Champion Greg
Hancock announced
his retirement from
professional racing
at the age of 49.
PHOTO: JAREK PABIJAN
