ŻUŻEL/INTERVIEW/PGEE: Andzejs Lebedevs: The Gorzów track is challenging but good for learning

Andzejs Lebedevs is a new rider for STAL Gorzów, who combines competing for the Lubusz team with his full participation in the Speedway Grand Prix series. In the latest interview for ekstraliga.pl, he talks about his preparations for the season and his relationship with the new club.

• The Latvian talks about his stay in sunny Spain and his approach to winter training
• The current European Individual Champion feels comfortable in the new environment and has full trust in the actions of the club’s management
• I had a poor start in the series because I didn’t perform well in the first rounds – in Gorican, Warsaw, and Landshut, but from Prague onward everything started improving – about last season in the Speedway Grand Prix
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Łukasz Rusiecki (ekstraliga.pl): I know you recently returned from a vacation in Barcelona. How did you enjoy your stay there and do you feel recharged ahead of the upcoming season?

Andzejs Lebedevs (STAL Gorzów rider): For several years now, such trips have been part of my preparation routine for the new season and have somewhat become a tradition. I always travel with my bus, taking a motocross bike and a bicycle, so I spend pleasant time there with my family, but I also train outdoors, unlike in Poland or Latvia, where training is mainly done indoors or in other enclosed spaces. I go to recharge my batteries and can say that the final stretch of the physical preparation for the new season is ahead of me. During the day, roughly until 4 PM, I was busy with physical preparations, while later I spent time with my family and children, exploring Barcelona and other cities. Spain is very attractive in this respect, as everywhere you look, you can see beautiful scenery full of nature, so even just walking in such circumstances is great. I can say that the trip fully paid off, and I am thoroughly recharged with vitamin D.

Do physical preparations in the gym also form an inseparable part of your training, alongside motocross riding and cycling?

Sure, that’s right. I really enjoy physical activities and consider myself someone who does more in this aspect than required. I’m in love with sports and different forms of activity. Whether it’s football or other disciplines, I always enjoy playing wherever there’s a ball, a racket, small or large tennis, basket or net and I’m always eager to play something. I admire many athletes from different disciplines and I love getting involved in that. I don’t need motivation to train, because I get up in the morning and do it with pleasure. Of course, there are days when I don’t feel like it, as happens to everyone, but I spend most of those training hours with a smile on my face.

When are you planning your first practice sessions on the track and where will they take place?

I am planning a trip on March 10th to Krško, Slovenia, where I have training slots booked, so if I can’t ride anywhere earlier, I think I will be on the track by March 10th at the latest, and I will meet with the Gorzów STAL team at the Jancar field.

What can you say about the club change, around which there has been a lot of buzz lately? Do you trust that STAL Gorzów is on the right track and it will only get better, and that this not-so-great situation in winter won’t negatively impact your results?

We haven’t spent much time together so far, but we are in constant contact. I don’t involve myself in off-track club matters because competent people handle that, those who know what to do to stabilize the club’s situation. From what I can see, everything is going according to plan, so none of us has access to the club’s account or office, and we can’t discuss the details, but so far everything looks fine. My strictly business relationship between STAL Gorzów and Andzejs Lebedevs, who signed a contract with the club, is good, and the club fulfills the contract by 200%, so I hope these problems are behind us and we will discuss them in the past tense.

Do you have a clear goal set for the upcoming season? Given that there is currently no player in the U24 position, the margin for error will be very small.

As mentioned earlier, during the winter preparations, we didn’t have many opportunities to discuss such topics. Each of us is preparing individually and dealing with our matters, so we haven’t been in constant contact to discuss season goals. I believe there will be time for this when we all meet on the track in Gorzów. This should be the right time to discuss such topics with the management and coaching staff. I think it’s not the time to talk about it yet, as the club and us – the riders have been occupied with other matters.

How do you feel about the Gorzów track, which is considered highly technical? It seems that regular riding on such an oval can only positively affect you, as other riders have mentioned multiple times? What are your memories of riding on this oval?

I have rather bad memories of this oval – broken ribs and a punctured lung (laughs). The track is really technical and always challenging when visiting as a guest, but I’m not afraid of it, because having 24/7 access to it, being able to train whenever I want, test equipment settings, and learn its geometry should be beneficial for me. The Gorzów track is generally difficult for visitors but having such a handicap on my side is nice. I assume I’ll have to spend many hours and complete many laps to fully master it and get to know the specifics of its nature. After installing linear drainage, the track trajectory and slope of the curves changed and when I came there with CELLFAST WILKAMI Krosno after a few years, I was positively surprised. Although I scored maybe 9 points, I enjoyed riding there, just couldn’t start effectively from the tape. Overall, riding on this track after the overhaul suits me just fine, so I will be learning this oval with my team to be a strong point for the team.

What are your assumptions for the next season in the Speedway Grand Prix cycle, and what conclusions will you draw from last season, in terms of competing in the cycle? You’ve had weaker performances like in Warsaw where you haven’t won a race yet, or in Gorican, which you replaced with much better ones in later rounds? Do you have a plan on how to enter the new season of championship struggles with a bang?

I had a poor start in the cycle because I didn’t fare well in the first rounds – in Gorican, Warsaw, and Landshut, but from Prague onward everything started to progress and against the best riders I was competitive and maintained a high level. In 11 rounds, I made 6 semifinals and 1 final, so the riding was more stable. I feel like I have settled into the cycle, as in the first rounds, stress was an obstacle. Certainly, not entirely accurate engine choices also impacted my results. I think the notes from last season will be helpful. I’m very happy I didn’t have to wait for the organizers’ decision for a wild card, so this time journalists won’t have anything to feed off of on that topic. I won very densely attended championships – Speedway European Championship, which is not mentioned much in the media, although that’s a secondary matter, because I feel satisfaction from winning in such a strong field with Maciej Janowski, Leon Madsen, Anders Thomsen, Patryk Dudek, Rasmus Jensen, or Piotr Pawlicki, so I didn’t end up in Speedway Grand Prix by accident.

Łukasz Rusiecki