Piotr Żyto returns to Rybnik. Why did he choose INNPRO ROW and what did Swedish speedway teach him?

After two years spent in Sweden, Piotr Żyto returns to Poland. The experienced coach found a job in Rybnik, where he has already held the position of coach twice. In an interview with us, he shared his feelings about returning to INNPRO ROW and talked a bit about the condition of Swedish speedway.

Marcin Rusewicz (ekstraliga.pl): After several years, you are returning to Poland as a coach. What does this mean for you? Are you a bit excited?

Piotr Żyto (INNPRO ROW Rybnik coach): I’ve been working in speedway for 40 years, so there’s no particular excitement. I work all the time and I’m happy about that. I am satisfied with this position, hence the lack of special excitement – he says to ekstraliga.pl.

Was the job offer in Rybnik the only offer you received?

I considered a few options, but chose Rybnik.

So what convinced you to take the challenge in Rybnik and reject other offers? Why did you decide on INNPRO ROW?

I like challenges, and this is indeed a challenge because everyone condemns Rybnik to relegation – he emphasizes in conversation with ekstraliga.pl.

Was your previous experience with INNPRO ROW one of the factors that made you decide to take the coach position in Rybnik?

Certainly yes, because, to be honest, I enjoyed working in Rybnik. There were results, the fans are also very nice, so that also helped in the decision.

Returning to Sweden. Did working as a coach abroad teach you anything new, or was it like any other position in the past?

I gained some new experience working in Sweden and saw a completely different approach to speedway. It’s all different than in Poland. One learns throughout life, so I experienced a few new things.

If you had to point out the biggest differences between Polish and Swedish speedway, what would they be?

The first and fundamental difference is finances. Swedish clubs don’t have as much money as clubs in Poland, and their budgets are much, much smaller. As for the riders, especially the young ones, they are left to their own devices. If someone starts training at a young age, it mainly depends on their parents’ wealth whether and how they will engage in the sport. Only later, if a rider manages to stand out, they can look for sponsors. There aren’t as many youth events as in Poland, and I think because of that, speedway in Sweden is struggling. Recently, Linus Sundstroem became the national coach, and I think it’s a good choice because you can already see that his plans are also entering the lower Allsvenskan league. Numbers 6 and 7 will have to be young Swedish riders, so they will ride two heats in a match. They are following Poland’s example and starting to do something in this area.

And how many young riders are there?

Today there aren’t many of them. Poland beats Sweden in this regard. This year in the 80cc class, or mini-speedway, there were about fourteen, and in 250cc maybe sixteen at most. There is no DMPJ or other youth competitions, so these young ones really have less riding time, but now they’ve realized it and there will be a bit more of it.

Did you part with Rospiggarna Hallstavik on friendly terms? Do you have good memories of your time working at this club?

Yes, of course. I spent two and a half great years there. I can say I got to know the entire spectrum of Swedish speedway. They simply told me they couldn’t afford to renew the contract and that’s how we ended. We parted on good terms.

Returning to Rybnik. Were you present when selecting the squad for the next season, or did you receive a “ready-made” team?

The president had his main outline, but I also participated in the final stages of assembling the team.

I ask because the roster seems to include some challenging riders. Are you concerned about working with them?

I’m not concerned about working with anyone. I’ve already worked with Pedersen, Zagar, Hancock, and others, so for me, it’s not something new or frightening. You need the right approach, come to an agreement, and it should be fine. I think some issues only live in the minds of journalists who repeat them. As for Kacper Pludra, time cannot be turned back, and he certainly didn’t do it intentionally at that time. I understand Chris’s nerves because he lost a season and money, but let’s not go crazy. Speedway is such a discipline where injuries are unfortunately always present.

What goal did President Krzysztof Mrozek set before you? Just maintaining the league, or are you fighting for something more?

Our goal is to stay in the league. We have to fight in every match. It’s known that everyone condemns us to relegation, but we will try to have the best possible season, and we will see what happens because anything can be. We don’t know what form the riders will have at the start of the new season and how it will all look. We already have some sparring matches planned, but we are still waiting for the final schedule, and we will see who rides and how. It’s just sport, and sport loves surprises.

Marcin Rusewicz