States starlet Luke Becker joins Wolverhampton Wolves

The protege of racing legend Greg Hancock put pen to paper for the Monmore Green outfit yesterday for the 2019 campaign.

It’s a huge capture for the club as the California kid is touted as one of speedway’s most sought-after talents around the world.

Becker, 19, revealed: “It’s obviously a dream come true to finally get my place in a UK team. Not only that but Wolverhampton are a club with a great history so it’s pretty cool to be signing for such a great team.

“I’m just so excited now, I know it’s going to be a big change but I’m ready for it. I know how big speedway is over there, it’s a whole different ball game and it’s going to be awesome to experience it.

“I came close to signing for Edinburgh last year but it didn’t come off so it’s a bit of a relief to get this place now.

“Obviously I have so much to learn but I’ll give it 100 per cent in every race. This is the first step to aiming for my dream to be world champion.”

Becker, from Brentwood, California, will be the latest in a long line of stars and stripes racers to grace Monmore Green.

The Wolves were led by legends world champion Sam Ermolenko and Ronnie Correy during a glorious period for the club in the late 1980s. Other American greats Dennis Sigalos, Bobby Schwartz, Charles Ermolenko and Rob Pfetzing have also donned a black and gold racejacket down the years.

Now Becker, nicknamed ‘Lil Missile’, hopes he can do a similar job to those track heroes.

He added: “There’s some pretty awesome guys who have raced for Wolverhampton down the years. I hope I can do a good job.

“I’m coming over to be the best I can be in this sport. I’m looking forward to racing on the Monmore track, it looks pretty cool.”

Becker has had some big time experience, racing for America in the 2017 World Cup where he produced some impressive displays, including a race win in the Race-Off in Leszno, Poland.

The American joins Wolves along with gritty Brit Kyle Howarth, who was announced yesterday as the first name on the team sheet for 2019.