Poland

POLAND’S HOME RULE!

Absent from the calendar since its last edition in 2017, as it made way for the FIM Speedway of Nations, the FIM Speedway World Cup was back on the calendar for 2023.

With eight wins in the competition since it was relaunched in its current format in 2001, Poland is the most successful country in FIM Speedway World Cup history and they continued to add to their proud Speedway legacy with a ninth title to complete a hat-trick of victories that began in 2016.

With the event staged over four nights at the end of July in Wroclaw, Poland, as host nation the five-rider Polish team went straight through to the Final, bypassing two Semi-Finals and the Race-Off that eliminated teams from Sweden, the Czech Republic, Germany, France and Finland.

Great Britain and Denmark progressed to the Final with victories in their Semi-Finals while Australia booked their place in the Race-Off.

Led by reigning FIM SGP World Champion Bartosz Zmarzlik with back-up from Patryk Dudek, Maciej Janowski, Dominik Kubera and Janusz Kolodziej, the Polish riders may have had home advantage, although on paper it was incredibly evenly matched.

Great Britain’s Tom Brennan, Robert Lambert, Tai Woffinden, Adam Ellis and Dan Bewley quickly emerged as the main opposition to Polish home rule when Bewley took the first Heat of the night with Zmarzlik back in third.

After two blocks of Heats, it was Great Britain with a three-point lead, however the Polish team fought back, and the points were tied with just the fifth and final block of Heats to go.

Bewley was again the man of the moment with second in Heat Seventeen to give Great Britain a two-point advantage, but the Polish riders retaliated and in the final Heat of the night Janowski sealed the deal for the host nation by two points with Denmark third from Australia.

PALMARES

Speedway World Cup Champions: 2005, 2007, 2009-2011, 2013, 2016-2017, 2023

SUPERPOWER POLAND STILL IN CHARGE

Poland Team Manager Marek Cieslak took his gold medal tally to seven in Leszno as his latest young team demolished the opposition in the Final of the Monster Energy FIM Speedway World Cup. Providing twelve of the heat winners, the Poles were in control from the start and their 50-point total was the best in this competition since they won in Gorzow in 2011. Only Sweden were able to provide any real opposition with Antonio Lindback at his spectacular best and fellow Grand Prix star Freddie Lindgren in support, although the team lacked the strength in depth needed to challenge the Poles.

As host nation Poland had been seeded directly to the Final but Sweden had won their qualifier in Vastervik and Great Britain similarly in Kings Lynn. Russia however had battled through a tough Race Off meeting after losing their number 2 rider Grigory Laguta who was sensationally banned only hours before the meeting after failing a drug test during a Polish domestic meeting. 

Laguta's absence made the Russians even more determined to succeed and they saw off competition from a disappointing Australian team and an emerging Latvian side to win the eliminator by a huge 13-point margin. Although they were unable to repeat this feat in the Final, they did enough to push Great Britain into fourth place and the emergence of this young Russian team was one of the features of this year’s event. 

Meanwhile Poland, featuring four former U21 Speedway World Champions in Patryk Dudek, Maciej Janowski, Piotr Pawlicki and Bartosz Zmarzlik, as well as this year's silver medalist in Bartosz Smektala, show no signs of relinquishing their grip on the Ove Fundin trophy.