Tarasenko: the atmosphere carried us away (interview)

ZOOLESZCZ GKM Grudziądz lost to BETARD SPARTA Wrocław 40:50, but they left extremely satisfied. The 10-point deficit seems to be within reach for the strong Grudziądz team on their home track. The guests’ leader at the Olympic Stadium was Vadim Tarasenko, who scored 11 points and 2 bonuses in 6 starts. The guest speedway rider shared his insights about the match and the chances of advancing to the semifinals in an interview for ekstraliga.pl.

Błażej Kowol (ekstraliga.pl): You lost this match 40:50, but seeing your slight smile, I assume that this is a result you are happy with?

Vadim Tarasenko (ZOOLESZCZ GKM Grudziądz): Yes, it’s a good result. During the match, we even thought we could achieve a bit more here. Appetite grew with eating. We didn’t aim for a specific result but wanted to give our all. From the eyes of my teammates, I saw great determination – none of us wants to end this season on September 1st. Maybe a bit of that ambition hindered us in some heats, and one more point on our account would look better, but it’s not bad.

11+2 is your score in this match. Are you satisfied with it, or do you see some shortcomings?

I unnecessarily changed gears for the last heat. I wasn’t able to catch Artem not because I lacked speed, but due to not knowing the right paths on this track. Artem knows this oval very well, and I overthought it.

So you felt the speed on the level of the elusive and unbeatable Artem Laguta?

Yes. I know I am capable of a lot, I have great equipment, but I don’t know this track well enough to know how best to accelerate my bike on it. He does it brilliantly. I tried to ride behind him, but I couldn’t take the bends as well as he does. It’s clear he rides very well. I’m looking forward to the rematch in Grudziądz! Of course, Artem knows that track perfectly, but I also know more and more about it (laughs).

It seems that racing with Artem is something that drives you and you like to do.

Of course, but there’s no unhealthy rivalry between us. Each of us, leaving the starting line, just wants to score three points. It’s no different for me – I always want to win!

How did your briefings look? You must have drawn the right conclusions because BETARD SPARTA riders weren’t able to pull away from you.

At one point, the hosts pulled ahead when we won double, but the hosts immediately responded to that. We thought we caught a breath, but then the Wrocław team countered again. I think it’s hard to ride heat after heat. The warmer it gets, the harder it is to properly cool the equipment. During an additional heat, the equipment overheats too much and loses power already on the second-third lap. It would be nice to have a bit more time.

How would you compare this match to the ones from the regular season? Was the atmosphere and tension at a different level than during the regular season? For ZOOLESZCZ GKM Grudziądz, this is a completely new experience.

Before the match, I was wondering which way we would go as a team. Would the importance of the meeting give us wings and drive us to even better riding, or would it overwhelm us a bit? It turned out it was as I thought – the atmosphere carried us away. When we saw how many of our fans were in Wrocław, we immediately relaxed.

Do I have the right impression, observing ZOOLESZCZ GKM Grudziądz, that you sensed blood and with each successive match you are increasingly driven?

I think the key factor is that we have a very balanced team. It’s very stable, we have fixed starting numbers, everyone knows when they will go on the track. The coach doesn’t make big changes, and we know how to behave during matches.

Did Michael Jepsen Jensen’s arrival change the game for you?

Michael creates a great atmosphere and is good to work with, but it’s influenced by many factors. The president, sponsors, coach along with the staff, and finally the riders themselves. It all has a huge impact on our riding. Each of us gives our maximum, trying to find the golden mean, and you can see the effects of this work. We all work towards this success.

How would you rate this track? Was it very different from what you encountered here in April?

This time it was nicer to ride. But it could be my perspective because I took a different engine for this match.

Is a 10-point deficit before the rematch a lot or a little?

It’s definitely a deficit that can be made up, and we will do everything to make it happen.

How will you prepare for the rematch?

There’s some time left, so we will train a lot to achieve a good result. We might even train twice.