PREMIERSHIP | WOLVES SIGN USA STAR BECKER

USA shooting star Luke Becker admits it’s a “dream come true” to be the latest big American signing for Wolverhampton.

The protégé of racing legend Greg Hancock put pen to paper for the Monmore Green outfit on Monday and the application for his visa will now be made.

It’s a huge capture for the club with the California kid heavily-linked to Premiership champions Poole during the summer.

Becker took the brave step of starting his European career in Poland, where he showed real promise with Rzeszow in the Second Division.

And after meeting the qualification criteria for a UK visa by finishing in the USA Championship’s top four, Becker can’t wait to get his British career started.

The 19-year-old said: “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 percent 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 Sam Ermolenko and Ronnie Correy during a glorious period for the club in the late 80s. Other American greats Dennis Sigalos, Bobby Schwartz, Charles Ermolenko and Rob Pfetzing have also donned a black and gold race jacket down the years.

Now Becker, nicknamed ‘Lil Missile’, hopes he can do a similar job to those track heroes. He added: “There are 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 his country in the 2016 and 2017 FIM Speedway World Cups where he produced some impressive displays, including a race win at the 2017 Race-Off in Leszno.

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