Franciszek Karczewski: We Cannot Lose Focus

In the first semi-final match of METALKAS 2. Ekstraliga, ABRAMCZYK POLONIA Bydgoszcz defeated ARGED MALESA Ostrów Wielkopolski at their home track 54:36. A strong aspect of the Bydgoszcz team was not just their senior members but also the youth pair. Franciszek Karczewski (3+1) spoke about the emotions related to the match.

In an interview with ekstraliga.pl, the junior team member assessed his performance. – I think it was quite okay. After changing the bike in the second and last race, it was better from the start and on the track. I lacked a bit of adjustment in the last race, and Tobiasz caught me. Maybe I was also taking the wrong path. If I had gone more through the middle of the track, I think I would have gained more speed there. Another experience gained, and it’s nice that we built such a lead before the rematch. We must go there with full concentration to not lose such a nice advantage – he admitted.

The first match on the home track can always cause uncertainty about what point advantage is needed. The youth team member revealed whether the team had set a goal. – Before this match, the goal was one – to reach the final. Before the season, it was to win this league. We stuck to that and focused on it. We’ll see what happens on the road. We didn’t have any exact point threshold set – stated Karczewski.

He also added how competing against the best junior in METALKAS 2. Ekstraliga – Sebastian Szostak – affected him. – I think I was focused on myself. I just tried to finish before Sebastian because I know that we are really fast on our home track. I knew it was possible to beat Sebastian. He’s just like any other opponent, but I tried not to put any pressure on myself before that junior race – he said.

On their home track, ABRAMCZYK POLONIA managed to build an eighteen-point lead. Is this enough for the team to feel more secure? – I think the lead is nice – 18 points is quite a lot. Concentration is still here to avoid making some silly mistakes and losing it. In Ostrów, there are 15 races, and they can overturn that advantage, so we focus on not letting the Ostrów team gain too much momentum – revealed the speedway rider. Will the upcoming match in Ostrów Wielkopolski be tough? – It’s always tough, of course. It’s definitely nice that this score, these 18 points – I think we would have taken that in the dark before the match. We will definitely fight – summarized Franciszek Karczewski.

Aleksandra Rzepa