Piotr Baron: We Want to Compete for the Highest Goals

KS APATOR Toruń in the 2024 season won the bronze medal of the PGE Ekstraliga for the second consecutive year. For coach Piotr Baron, it was his debut year in Toruń, during which his team experienced highs and lows. For the 2025 season, several changes were made in the club. Wiktor Lampart and Paweł Przedpełski left the team, to be replaced by Jan Kvech and Mikkel Michelsen. How significant is this strengthening?

The 2024 speedway season has long come to an end. Although the calendar year is still ongoing, some speedway riders are already preparing for the upcoming competitions. It is no different for the KS APATOR riders. – Of course, preparations are in full swing. Training started in November. As a club, we will go to Spain in February for motocross, cycling, and general development training – said the team’s coach Piotr Baron about the team’s winter plans.

One of the leaders of the team from Toruń – Emil Sajfutdinov was probably the speedway rider who ended the season last in Poland, as he managed to get on the track even in December. – Emil wanted to ride and see how the track behaves after certain modifications. Additionally, he had two English frames to try out, so he did some riding – explained the coach of KS APATOR.

As in many other teams, there were two key changes in Toruń. Wiktor Lampart was replaced by his peer Jan Kvech in the U24 position, and Paweł Przedpełski will be replaced by Mikkel Michelsen from KRONO-PLAST WŁÓKNIARZ Czestochowa. Do these reinforcements put more pressure on achieving better results? – I don’t follow all media too closely, but as for us, it seems indeed that we have strengthened. Mikkel is after a good ‘knock’, so we will see what form he will be in and how he can prepare for this season. We’ll also see how Janek Kvech integrates into the team. Behind the desk, it’s easy, but speedway has its own rules, and besides good preparation, you need a bit of luck and many factors to come together to achieve good results – said Baron.

How can the schedule of KS APATOR Toruń for the 2025 season be assessed? – I assess it as every year. Matches are not easy, and none of them will be. When listening to experts, for them it’s simple, but speedway doesn’t look like you sit at a desk and allot points because if it worked that way, we could schedule the entire league even today. Every match will be very tough and challenging, so we have to adapt to it, but as every year, we just have to ride our own – stated the 50-year-old.

In the last two years, the podium of the PGE Ekstraliga has looked identical. It seems that next season the teams from Lublin, Wrocław, and Toruń will again dominate the league. Where among the other teams is KS APATOR located? – It seems to me that everyone forgets that in the PGE Ekstraliga there are eight teams that at the start of the season have exactly the same chances of achieving anything, so it’s not just BETARD SPARTA and ORLEN OIL MOTOR, but also STAL, BAYERSYSTEM GKM, INNPRO ROW, KRONO-PLAST WŁÓKNIARZ and STELMET FALUBAZ. We have to be prepared for everyone.

So, what is the main goal of the club for the 2025 season? – Our goal is the same as the other seven teams. We want to compete for the highest goals and do everything to achieve the best results possible, and the season will show what can be done – concluded Piotr Baron.

Marcin Rusewicz