Controversy in both semi finals saw Australian Ryan Sullivan eliminated when he touched the starting tape in the first while a crash in the second took out Swede Andreas Jonsson and Czech Lukas Drymel. 

Drymel and Jonsson clashed on the first corner of their semi and Jonsson went down heavily after being hit by Drymel's bike.

The Swede was taken away by ambulance for treatment to a badly injured knee while Drymel was uninjured.

Hancock overcame a determined charge from Britain's Scott Nicholls and Australian Jason Crump in the final to take the last round of the 2002 World Championship in front of 31,990 people.

Hancock the 1997 World Speedway Champion, had not won a Grand Prix this year and has struggled for form, but rode brilliantly all night to take the victory ahead of Nicholls with Crump.

A devastated Sullivan argued with the race referee about his exclusion in the semi final to no avail and saw his second place in the championship slip away as Crump took enough points to move ahead of him the title.

It wasn't the only time that the referee made a controversial decision during the night eliminating fellow Aussie Stave Johnston from an earlier heat for arriving at the start a few seconds late, despite an agreement for leniency because of the size of the track.

The newly re-crowned World Champion Swede Tony Rickardsson also had a tough end to his season eliminated from the Grand Prix in heat 22 after finishing last.

Hancock was pleased with his return to form and attributed the performance to his team and the bike they gave him.

"It was a great result for us and fantastic to win here in Australia particularly with my team mate Scott Nicholls taking second," said an elated Hancock.

"It was a great Grand Prix and very hard fought but I had confidence from the start, the bike was perfect and the team has to be congratulated," said the Californian rider.

Crump made a gamble in the final when he drew the difficult number three starting lane on the outside of the track, going for a faster acceleration package sacrificing outright speed in a bid to get top the first corner in the lead.

"It was a gamble which I had to make," said Crump.

"If I had made it to the lead I could have stayed there but it wasn't to be," he said.

Sullivan's elimination from the semi was devastating for the 26 year old Adelaide rider who had high hopes of capturing Australia's first ever round of the World Speedway Championship.

"I am devastated," said Sullivan.

"The past eight weeks has been just demoralising, both on and off the track, and tonight just caps it off," he added.

Sullivan led the title until the eighth round in Poland in September when he broke his collarbone and watched the championship slipped away..

Rickardsson paid tribute to the Australian riders for their performance this year and says it is getting tougher to keep them at bay.

"They are hard tough competitors and it is going to be difficult to stay in front it is getting harder every year," said Rickardsson who snared his fifth world title at the penultimate title in Denmark last month.

Australians finished second, third and fourth in the title with Crump , Sullivan and Mildura's Leigh Adams trailing Rickardsson in the Championship standings.

Event promoter David Lander said the Grand Prix was a major success with the crowd meeting expectations.

"it is a long time since top level speedway has been staged in Sydney and it is an education process but we will be back next year,": said Lander.

The Championship teams will now return to Europe to prepare for the start of the 2003 season in Denmark in April