ONE of Cradley Heath speedway’s all-time greats, will be back in the Black Country to meet Heathens fans in July.

Reigning world champion Greg Hancock, aged 46, started his professional career at the old Dudley Wood Stadium in 1989 but no longer races in the UK and splits his time between Sweden and California.

But on Thursday July 20 he will be on stage at the Cleveland Arms sports pub in Wolverhampton when fans will hear stories from his career, thoughts on this season and plans for the future.

He said: “I'm so stoked that I have the chance to come and meet some of my fans in the UK again.

“I loved my time in England and I made some amazing friends at all of my clubs, and I'll never forget the warmth of the people when I first came over to ride all those years ago.

“My career really got kick-started in England with myself and Billy (Hamill) at Cradley so to be able to come back over 20 years later and catch up with people is going to be a lot of fun.

“It has been a while since I rode in the UK consistently and I do miss it, and I definitely miss some of the people too.

“Every year I come to Cardiff for the Grand Prix and the reception I get still amazes me, the fans support me every year and it's nice to be able to come and meet some of them face to face to say thank you. It's going to be a really fun night and I'm super excited for it.”

Tickets are priced at £12, although there are also VIP tickets available at £30 which includes early entry, buffet, priority seating and a picture with Greg signed on the night.

To buy tickets for the event, where doors open at 7pm for an 8pm start – but VIP doors open at 6pm – are available from clevelandarms.com, from the venue direct by calling on 01902 451021, or the Cradley club shop on racenights.