Grzegorz Zengota: Big disappointment. Guests read the conditions (interview)

11 points and a bonus is Grzegorz Zengota’s contribution in the clash with ZOOLESZCZ GKM Grudziądz. The nearly 36-year-old was the team’s leader, securing the match victory for his team in the last race. However, the dissatisfaction among the Leszno team was immense.

Under the guidance of Rafał Okoniewski, they aimed for a full set of points, but the loss from the first match was significant. FOGO UNIA couldn’t make up for the loss, and it quickly became clear that instead of 55 points, they had to aim for at least 46. In the last evening’s race, Grzegorz Zengota had to win to secure the home team’s match victory. His impressive performance was not hindered by a leg injury.

Joachim Piwek (ekstraliga.pl): First of all, what are your feelings and the team’s after the match?

Grzegorz Zengota (FOGO UNIA Leszno): Big disappointment. We were aiming for a bonus point, but things didn’t go our way at all.

Couldn’t you adjust to the track surface?

At the start of the match, the riders from Grudziądz read the conditions well, adjusted to the starts, and made no mistakes on the track. When we didn’t start well, overtaking on the track wasn’t easy. However, the conditions were fair for everyone, and I don’t want to use that as an excuse.

Two points extend hope for survival, but your situation is very difficult.

We won the match. We aimed for the bonus, but that plan didn’t work out. Now we need to leave that behind and focus on the upcoming matches and be prepared to feel good from start to finish. We draw a lot of conclusions from each match. It was similar after this match. We had a group discussion right after to properly sort everything out.

Are you talking about conclusions regarding the track? A few weeks ago with KS APATOR Toruń you read the surface perfectly.

The weather is such that it’s difficult to perfectly match the track conditions. Recently everyone felt good, but there was a cover on the track and the match was at risk. It’s not easy to recreate such conditions when it’s 30 degrees outside and very hot. It’s not easy to predict.

What is your mood before the last three matches?

We are not giving up. We are thinking about the next match and we continue to fight, no matter what happens.

However, the threat of relegation is looming over you. Have you already thought about what to do if you fail to stay in the PGE Ekstraliga?

Let’s take it easy on that. We have very important matches ahead and I see that both myself and the guys are putting all our energy into staying in the PGE Ekstraliga. We will think about matters related to next year once everything is decided. I always say, as long as the ball is in play, let’s focus on the next match.