Benjamin Cook: This award is something special for me

Benjamin Cook is a speedway rider who has burst into the top ranks of the PGE Ekstraliga. The Australian was signed by FOGO UNIA Leszno halfway through the season, and to the surprise of many, he performed very well. As a result, he won the Szczakiel in the Surprise of the Season category.

Cook was nominated for the Golden Szczakiel award along with Michael Jepsen Jensen, Bartłomiej Kowalski, Rasmus Jensen, and Mads Hansen, so the competition was fierce. Thanks to the votes of fans and a result of over 36%, the statuette went to him. – Three months ago, I was in England and only dreamed of riding in Poland and the PGE Ekstraliga. Getting such a chance was very cool, and this award is something special for me. It’s amazing to race against the best in the world and win this award – said the Australian in an interview with us.

Why, despite good results at the PGE Ekstraliga level, did he decide to stay with FOGO UNIA and ride in the METALKAS 2nd Ekstraliga? – Of course, they gave me such an opportunity. They want to build a team that will return to the PGE Ekstraliga after this season. I like this club, I like these people, so the decision to stay in Leszno was easy, and I can’t wait for the next season with FOGO UNIA – says Cook.

After eight raced matches, the speedway rider achieved a race points average of 1.976 points/per race, which ranked him in the top twenty of the league at the end of the season. What is he capable of, and what, apart from returning with the team to the PGE Ekstraliga, will be his goal next year? – At the moment, I still have a few meetings in Great Britain, but then I will go home to Australia and relax for a while because it was a really busy season. Only then will I gather myself and set goals for the next season, but the first was to find a club in Poland, which I have already done, so I am just waiting for more opportunities – concluded the leader of FOGO UNIA Leszno.

Marcin Rusewicz