Mateusz Szczepaniak: I definitely feel a sense of unfulfillment, because I am capable of more

Before the 2025 season, Mateusz Szczepaniak changed teams. He left ABRAMCZYK POLONIA Bydgoszcz for AUTONA UNIA Tarnów. The factors that influenced his decision to join the newly promoted METALKAS 2. Ekstraliga team and his preparation plans were discussed in an interview with ekstraliga.pl.

After spending two seasons at the Bydgoszcz club, Mateusz Szczepaniak decided it was time for a change. In the upcoming METALKAS 2. Ekstraliga competitions, the speedway rider will compete for the newly promoted team from Tarnów. – Our discussions took a while. I talked with President Góral and the company’s management. We know how the previous season went for the Tarnów club, and I wanted assurance from the people in charge. That convinced me to join AUTONA UNIA – Szczepaniak said in an interview for ekstraliga.pl.

Despite scoring the most bonuses in the 2024 season, the rider does not feel that he has reached the maximum level of his performance. His total tally included 137 ‘points’ and 27 bonus points. – I definitely feel a sense of unfulfillment, because I am capable of more. I have matches and heats in mind which could have ended with better results for me. Regarding bonuses – I have the most, but few know how many points I lost by thinking about my teammates. I try to leave them space, think about where they are on the track, and I lose positions to rivals because of it. I try to race for the team, but that’s forgotten nowadays. In the end, it’s all about the point total – explained the representative of the Tarnów team.

One of the main goals of Mateusz Szczepaniak’s preparations for the season is to hit the track quickly. Recently, there has also been time to rest, during which our interviewee vacationed in Turkey with his closest ones. – Everything depends on the weather conditions. If in March there is no possibility to train in Poland, we will quickly look for warmer areas where the tracks are suitable for riding. The main plan is to head out quickly. After the season, I prefer warmer regions when it gets colder here. We like to travel and explore a lot. We spent a lot of time in Turkey on more of a ‘road trip’ vacation. It was nice, but I also like winter and snow. I think there will also be an opportunity for a trip with conditions suitable for snowboarding – he concluded.