2014 MotorCycle Live Show

Triple World Speedway champion Greg Hancock thrilled fans when he made a guest appearance on NGK Spark Plugs (UK) Ltd’s stand at the 2014 MotorCycle Live Show.

The 44-year-old American attracted hundreds of enthusiasts to the NEC Birmingham, just weeks after securing the 2014 FIM Speedway World Championship.

The Californian star signed numerous posters and posed for photographs with fans on the NGK stand and also took part in a special ‘A Question of Bikes’ contest hosted by former motorcycling star Steve Parrish on one of the show’s main stages.

Greg recently became the oldest rider to win the world title when he clinched his third world crown at the Borygo Torun FIM Speedway Grand Prix of Poland, having won the championship previously in 1997 and 2011.

NGK Spark Plugs (UK) Ltd has sponsored Greg for a number of years, supplying its specialist Iridium racing plugs which he uses on his 500cc bikes, and invited him to the show as its guest, something that he thoroughly enjoyed.

He said: “It was great to meet up with so many of my British fans. I lived here for 14 years and it is my home away from home. I was really delighted when NGK invited me to be their guest at MotorCycle Live and I jumped at the chance.

“Teaming up with NGK has given me the opportunity to work with a great product and some great people and the knowledge that I have obtained has certainly helped me and my team prepare our engines for the various track and weather conditions that we encounter over a season.”

Greg is about to return to the USA for the festive season with his wife Jennie and three sons Wilbur, Bill and Karl, but will be back racing in Europe next season with Piraterna in Sweden, where he lives, and also a yet-to-be-announced Polish team.

He has been a long-time favourite with British fans, having raced here most notably for Cradley Heath and Coventry, who NGK now sponsors, and has not ruled out a return to these shores.

Greg said: “I loved it in Britain as the fans really love the sport and just want to see good competitive racing. I have no plans to return at present, but you never know what may happen in the future. Next year I will do what I always do which is to try and be the best that I can as a Speedway rider and if I do that then I will hopefully have the chance of winning a fourth world title.”

Marko Wowczyna, Automotive Director, NGK Spark Plugs (UK) Ltd, said: “We were delighted that Greg agreed to be our guest at the show. He is very popular with British fans who flocked to our stand to meet him and congratulate him on his fantastic achievement this year.”

Another major attraction on the NGK stand was a drag bike raced by Steve Woollatt, the current and 14-time ACU Top Fuel Championship winner. His 1000bhp machine – called The Dealer – races from 0-60mph in just 0.7 seconds and covers the quarter-of-a-mile course in just 6.26 seconds.

NGK Spark Plugs (UK) Ltd has long been synonymous with the two-wheel bike scene both on the road and also in the motorcycling racing arena where its spark plugs have helped the world’s leading teams and riders to numerous victories.

The company also supplies OE glow plugs and NTK Lambda sensors and recently launched a new range of OE NTK exhaust gas temperature sensors (EGTS) and announced major additions to its ignition coils range.

For more information about the company and its products and services, please visit the website at www.ngkntk.co.uk Also you can check out its new blogzine at ngktorque.com