Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1542393
i. f - reg Hancock's famous grin was back as California's finest got his World Cham- pionship campaign up and running at Wroclaw in Poland on Saturday night. The 1997 World Champion, who had mustered only five points in a hi(-and-miss opening round in Slovenia, was back to being his best in finishing runner-up to Jason Crump in the European Grand Prix. Hancock, a former longtime Wroclaw rider, used his intimate knowledge of what was an increasinSly slick Olympic Stadium track to win four of his llve qual- ifying rides - Setting himsel{ excluded in the other for brinSing down Biarne Pedersen in heat 18 - and then repassing Crump to take the checkered flae in the second semi-final. ln the final, the 35-year-old American faced Aussie ace Crump - who he had already beaten twice on the niSht - Polish prospect laroslaw Hampel and Reading teammate Matej Zagar. Though he forced his way to the front from the inside gate, Crump made amends for losing out in the semi-final by stepping on the gas to motor past Hanco(k down the back straight on lap All the same, Hancock was happy with his night's work, which propelled him into fifth place in the overall standings after two of this year's l0 GPs. His son Wilbur, who turned one yearc old the day before the race, slept through most of it. "We were focused, we didn't do any- thing any differenr ro what we did in Slovenia, just kept my head on straiSht and came out with some good wins," Hancock said. "l had the unfortunate inci- dent with Biarne. I hit a hole, tried to recover, but there wasn't anything I could do. Fortunately, it could have been a lot worse, but he did very well to get off the way he did. "The thing with Jason fCrump] is you can't ever Bive him a chance to build up the speed, and in the semi-final, I felt I was able to maintain the speed I needed to keep up with him. But in the final, I gave him a little bit too much of a chance to get that Eoing and I had ro make a deci- sion at one point, I knew if I was 8oin8 to WORLD SP€CDWAY Wonld spe€dwau Championship .s- r Joron Crump powe rs oheod of Leigh Adoms ond Bi nd JHSON ttwNlN ft\ -t Pedersen in lhe opening of round roce in Wrpclqw, Polo , rhe ' g-r' \ site ar\ two oI the World Speedwoy rsr (hompionship a I g l} A EIfr.W tffi rt a LOOIC1 N-., \ il t & t SToRY AND PHoros ev HrPKrss L fxr I DOtlt r --la t {IL I I a- - a a - L I ,, ta T I s 19 l. \ I ll I k I t..-\ 4 & - IROP I :,p{d I I c -a a ? I a a t - it I S I AE ) # a 1a r NET DoLl 38 MAY t7,2oe6 . cYcLE NEWS GrC Hdn.ork loods ,rlotei Zqgor during lhe fridf in Polond. Hqntock ended up finishing se(ond, his bert rorult of the young seoson. I Round 2 |{oy 6, 2006 '(-, .[ 1 { I t c I .. - / : I r frr., ( J I I t \t\ \r I /-