Life begins at 41 for Greg Hancock

They say life begins at 40.

It almost certainly has for Greg Hancock, who became the oldest speedway world champion at the age of 41 at the weekend.

Hancock, who last became world champion in 1997, is the only rider to have competed in every Grand Prix since its inception and has also set the record for the longest time between becoming the world champion, beating the record of the late Peter Craven who won the title in 1955 and 1963.

It is likely that the two records he has set will not be beaten for a very long time.

Hancock becoming world champion overshadowed the fact that Andreas Jonsson won the meeting – his third gold medal of 2011 – after previous victories in Terenzano and Torun.

It has catapulted him into second, one point clear of nearest challenger Jaroslaw Hampel.

It means the focus in the last round in Gorzow will be on who secures the silver medal, with Aussie Jason Crump an outside bet for second or third.

The other focus will be on who finishes in the top eight and so automatically qualifies for next year’s Grand Prix series.

Chris Holder currently holds the eighth position, 10 points clear of Freddie Lindgren, so there will have to be aquite a big points swing for the positions to change.

But the way fast Freddie is riding, anything is possible and everything is set up for a cracking final night in Gorzow in a week’s time.

HOWEVER, one person to miss out on a top eight spot will be Britain’s sole representative Chris Harris.

The Cornishman has had a nightmare 2011 season, struggling in the Grand Prix and losing the number one spot in the Belle Vue team to Rory Schlein.

Harris has copped a fair amount of criticism from various speedway quarters but has always said it is his machinery that has let him down this year and not his ability – after all, you don’t become a bad speedway rider overnight.

He has struggled with set-ups all year due to the new silencers and has invested a lot of money in trying to get things right.

However, his performance in Croatia, where he top scored and was involved in two of the best races and closest finishes, and recent meetings for Belle Vue have shown that when he has got his machinery right he is still a force to be reckoned with in world speedway.

Let us hope the GP organisers see that and give him a wild card for next year.

ON THE Comets front another meeting washed out meant Derwent Park is probably in the running for the title of wettest place in Britain this year.

But we saw a good performance for Rusty Harrison in the Premier League Riders Championship, only missing out on the semis by a point – no mean feat in a top class field.

To continue to ride at such a high standard with his knee still giving him problems shows his dedication to do well for the team as well as his status as a top class rider.