Duets from seven countries will compete in Eurosport Speedway Best Pairs tournament on 8th June on Motoarena. One of the teams in a stake will be Americans with twice time individual world champion Greg Hancock as a leader. We were talking with "Grin" two weeks before this event.
Marcin Konieczny: USA duo with you as a leader will start in Eurosport Best Pairs in Toruń. How did you react for an invitation for this competition and what do You think about this formula of speedway racing?
Greg Hancock: I was delighted to get the invitation to this event as it's been many years since. I have ridden in a pairs event for the USA. I think its a great idea by the organisers to put together such a top field of International riders as well.
Your friend Billy Hamill is a new US Team Manager. How do You feel it can influent on US speedway situation in upcoming years?
It's a great move for our federation to ask Billy to be the leading manager for the USA Team. Billy knows the game well and can be a huge motivator for the team as well as the youngsters making their way up for the future.
Can you unveil the secret who will be Your team mate in Torun and how do You feel with that choice?
My team partner for this event will be Ryan Fisher and I think it's a great teammate to have. He is really trying hard to break into the international scene these days so this will be a great chance to show his skills and determination.
What are your expectations from this tournament, stake of the riders seems to be very tough...
I always expect to give 100% from myself and to get the same from my team or partner. This will be one of the hardest matches this year so Ryan and I have a great chance to prove that the USA is coming back to a World form!
You're true legend of speedway, remembering a lot of ups & downs of this sport, met a lot of great riders and compete with them on the track. Who was always the best 'pair rider' in your eyes; who is riding the best in pairs currently?
That's a tough question because there are so many great pairs riders out there. I would have say that Sam Ermolenko and Bobby Schwartz were some of the best in my time. They both could control races from the start but then Jan O' Pedersen and Per Jonsson were a step above the rest when it came to overtaking and joining their partner at the front. These days, there's no doubt that Chris Holder and Darcy Ward are among the best.
Do You know that Nicki Pedersen said that You & Tomasz Gollob seems to be the best pair riders at the moment... How is your reaction about this opinion?
We all have our thoughts about these things and I am flattered that he includes me in that...
In Eurosport Speedway Best Pairs, scoring 4-3-2-0 will be in use. Do you feel it can make that the tournament more attractive?
This scoring system will definitely make it interesting. Getting a 0 is gonna be a killer for any team. I can't wait!
Tournament on 8th June will be broadcasted LIVE to 71 countries all over the world. It have never happened before to this sport, how do You feel with that?
That's what I like to hear but most importantly for me, I want it to be shown in the USA... That is exactly what the sport needs and of course the sport in our country. Thanks Eurosport for this job!
