Speedway in Poland


Speedway is one of the most popular sports in Poland. The Ekstraliga has the highest average attendances for any sport in Poland. The first meetings in Poland were held in the 1930s.Kevin Meynell & Marcin Babnis, Retrieved 25 October 2014.
Speedway in Poland is governed by the Main Commission of Speedway Sport which is a part of the Polish Motor Union. PZM is a member of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme and the Union Européenne de Motocyclisme.

National team

Poland has produced three Individual World Champion - Jerzy Szczakiel who won in 1973, Tomasz Gollob who won in the 2010 Individual Speedway World Championships and Bartosz Zmarzlik who won in 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. Polish junior riders are among the best in the world. The Polish National U-21 team won the Under 21 World Championship since 2005 in every years. Besides, since 2000 Polish juniors won medals of Individual U-21 World Championship. Polish riders have been World Champions seven times at Under 21 level.

Championships

There are three types of speedway championships in Poland: individual, pairs, and team, consisting of three leagues. The Junior U-21 championships also consist of three categories: individual, pairs, and team.

Teams (league competition)

There are three speedway leagues in Poland:
  1. Ekstraliga
  2. Polish Speedway First League
  3. Polish Speedway Second League
In the 2009 season, the Extraleague and First League have eight teams competing. The second League has seven teams. Notably, KS Toruń has never been relegated to a lower division until the 2019 season when the team was relegated for the first time in the history.

Competitions

Polish Cup

  • Individual Speedway Polish Cup
  • Team Speedway Polish Cup

Helmets competition

GKSŻ organizes the Golden Helmet, Silver Helmet and Bronze Helmet competitions.
  1. The Golden Helmet is a single meeting held in PC Team 3rd from last season, with the top twelve riders in the Extraleague and the top four riders in the First League. The Winner get a new motorcycle Java.
  2. The Silver Helmet is an individual competition for riders under 21 years of age for the top sixteen riders in the Extraleague, the top ten riders in the First League, and the six two riders in the Second League competing. A Final event held in PC Team U-21 3rd from last season.
  3. The Bronze Helmet is an individual competition similar to the Silver Helmet except the riders must be under 19 years of age. Riders are nominated for this competition by their teams.

Friendly competition

Other competitions include, e.g.:
  1. Mieczysław Połukard Criterium of Polish Speedway Leagues Aces held in the Polonia Stadium in Bydgoszcz. It is seen by riders and fans as the official opening of the new season. First staged in 1982, although a similar meeting was held in the 1950s.
  2. Crest Chain of Ostrów Town held in Ostrów Wielkopolski. It is the official end of season meeting. First staged in 1978.
  3. Alfred Smoczyk Memorial Alfred Smoczyk was the first Polish speedway superstar. He successfully competed on Dutch tracks in the late 1940s, but died in a road accident in October 1950. This meeting has been held every year since 1951 in Leszno, where he lived, in the Alfred Smoczyk Stadium.
  4. Edward Jancarz Memorial'' in Gorzów Wielkopolski.

Speedway Grand Prix in Poland

Current Grand Prix
  1. Gorzów at Jancarz Stadium
  2. Toruń at MotoArena Toruń
  3. Warsaw at Stadion Narodowy
Previously, SGP events hosted in:
  1. Bydgoszcz at Polonia Stadium
  2. Chorzów at Silesian Stadium
  3. Leszno at Alfred Smoczyk Stadium
  4. Lublin at Stadion MOSiR
  5. Wrocław at Olympic Stadium

Famous riders

Attendances

The 2025 Ekstraliga attendances:
ClubAverage
Betard Sparta Wrocław13,675
PGD Toruń13,029
Falubaz Zielona Góra10,098
Motor Lublin8,736
ROW Rybnik8,011
Włókniarz Częstochowa7,963
Stal Gorzów7,915
GKM Grudziądz7,444
Average9,625

Source: