SPEEDWAY/INTERVIEW/PGEE: Maciej Kuciapa: I am impressed by the players’ tremendous commitment

Maciej Kuciapa is the coach of ORLEN OIL Lublin, with whom he has won the gold medal at the Polish Team Championships three times. The unchanged lineup of the Lublin Koziołki once again positions them as the main favorites in the PGE Extraleague. In a conversation with ekstraliga.pl, the coach of the championship team talks about preparations for the track.

• The players of the Lublin team had a great opportunity for integration and training at a camp in Mallorca
• During cycling training, the speedway riders gained insights from Michał Kwiatkowski, a Polish road cyclist
• If a rider weighs around 70 kilograms, they are unable to compete at the PGE Extraleague level – the coach of Lublin’s ORLEN OIL MOTOR on the riders’ weight
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Łukasz Rusiecki (ekstraliga.pl): How would you summarize the first team’s training camp in Mallorca? What was the main objective of the camp, and besides cycling or playing golf, what other sports activities were undertaken?

Maciej Kuciapa (coach of ORLEN OIL MOTOR Lublin): The camp primarily aimed at maintaining fitness and integrating the players. It’s great that we could meet before the season and mainly wanted to maintain the previously built form. As every year, we focused on road cycling and spent most of the day on bikes, but we also had recreational activities like golfing, which was a nice break after cycling and a coffee break. For some players, it was their first encounter with golf, although some had already played. The camp was largely about integration and maintaining the previously built form.

I assume that having such professionals in the team means you don’t need to thoroughly monitor their form in winter. Has any competition between the players arisen, stemming from their eagerness to get back on the track?

I am very pleased with my players’ tremendous commitment, who are fully professional, and the way they approach not only training or nutrition but also life. It is very encouraging. I was pleased to observe this because the time spent at the camp was not dedicated to leisurely strolls but demanding physical training.

The team had the opportunity for cycling training with Michał Kwiatkowski. Can advice from such athletes facilitate building the riders’ form?

Of course, each player talked with Michał Kwiatkowski, and essentially, every player includes cycling training in their preseason preparations. From what I know, they all inquired about topics related to supplements and details of road cycling. Certainly, the riders will use Michał Kwiatkowski’s advice, though it’s known he’s a fully professional athlete, so it doesn’t completely translate to the speedway riders’ performance, but I consider this time positive in terms of training, which we concluded with a common coffee and exchange of opinions.

Currently, athletes are fighting very hard for the lowest possible weight. What is your opinion on the requirement of a minimum combined weight of a speedway rider and motorcycle? Would such a solution make the sport more interesting?

Such a solution would benefit riders who are taller or weigh more. As for the riders competing in the PGE Extraleague, their weight is around 60 kilograms, and if a rider weighs more than 70 kilograms, they cannot effectively compete at this level. Certainly, such a rule would equalize opportunities, but for now, there is no such regulation, although the guys are fighting hard for the lowest possible weight to assist the motorcycle. It’s certainly easier to adjust your equipment if you have a low weight, and it significantly helps in achieving high speeds.

Are the plans for the first rides in Gorican still current? Has anything changed or been expanded regarding this? What is the current state of the track in Lublin?

Currently, we have beautiful weather, and typically at the start of the season, it was never as good as it is now. We definitely need such weather for at least another 3-4 days. Regarding the plan to ride in Gorican, nothing has changed, but possibly, with good weather, we might be able to go out on the home track next week. The weather is crucial, and we are making decisions on an ongoing basis. Currently, the track looks very good, but we must hope that favorable weather conditions do not change, and the forecasted weather breakdown on Thursday does not adversely affect the state of our track surface.

Currently, you have 8 juniors in the squad who prepared meticulously during the winter. Are you planning to enter two teams for the Polish Junior Team Championship? What will be the competition rotation policy for them?

We have the Individual Extraleague U17 Cup coming up, so we’ll divide the riders based on form and rotate them in the mentioned competitions, but also the Polish Junior Team Championships. Certainly, those in the best shape will compete in the Polish Junior Team Championships, but we will aim to make fair selections, ensuring everyone has enough opportunity to ride and gain the necessary experience.

In spring, can we expect new club trainees to take the speedway license examination?

We have one trainee preparing for the speedway license examination, but we are currently waiting to go out on the track. He is a young rider, so he needs a bit more riding to feel confident on the motorcycle after the winter break. We are waiting for the first exam of the year, and if the rider has enough laps under his belt, he will certainly try his hand.

Łukasz Rusiecki