Szymon Woźniak: It Was Twice as Nice to Win the Cup in IMP (Interview)

The second, final round of the Individual Polish Championships in Bydgoszcz brought a lot of excitement. Among those who made a sensation was the ABRAMCZYK POLONIA protégé and current EBUT.PL STAL representative, Szymon Woźniak, who stood on the second step of the podium. In an interview with ekstraliga.pl, the speedway rider did not hide his joy at the achieved result.

Norbert Giżyński (ekstraliga.pl): In the last final of the Individual Polish Championships, you took second place. It must have been a great joy for you, especially as you achieved it on the track where you took your first steps in speedway riding.

Szymon Woźniak (EBUT.PL STAL Gorzów): Definitively. It was twice as nice to win the cup in such a prestigious competition as the Individual Polish Championships, on the Bydgoszcz track with the support of the local fans. Every time I come there, I feel their strong support and encouragement. It is really very nice of them. This created a great atmosphere and added to my joy during that tournament.

As for the course of the event itself, it was a lot of hard work both in the pits and on the track. I wasn’t exceptionally fast at the time, but I managed to scrape points together. I was able to scratch and claw my way into that semi-final race, which got me into the final. I made the right decision at that moment – making a change in the right direction. Throughout most of the competition, we were trying different paths – sometimes one way, sometimes another. You could say we were collecting data. I am glad that in the most important moment of the tournament, my team and I drew the right conclusions, and both the start and speed of my bike were really good in those last two races.

Do you feel anything else every time you return to Bydgoszcz – after all, it’s your homeland, where you grew up – regardless of the colors you represent?

I feel joy above all. It is very nice – as I have mentioned – from the Bydgoszcz fans, that I can still count on their strong support and encouragement, even though I have been riding for other teams for many years. Despite this, the fans in Bydgoszcz always remember me and treat me as ‘one of their own’. This is really very nice, and I am extremely grateful to them for it!

Do you think that the very successful performance in Bydgoszcz could give you a real boost to fight for another equally good final result in the upcoming IMP competitions in Lublin?

Of course. In speedway, belief in one’s abilities and confidence is very important. Every good performance – no matter the level – boosts your confidence. Such starts build a ‘foundation’, which is very necessary for every rider throughout the season. Especially with such a tough competition as we had in IMP in Bydgoszcz.

Norbert Giżyński