ŻUŻEL/INTERVIEW/PGEE: Maciej Kuciapa: I am pleased with the tremendous commitment of the players

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

• The players of the Lublin team had an excellent opportunity to integrate and train together during a camp in Mallorca
• During a cycling training session, speedway riders gained knowledge from Michał Kwiatkowski – Polish road cyclist
• If a player weighs about 70 kilograms, they cannot compete at the PGE Ekstraliga level – Lublin’s ORLEN OIL MOTOR coach on speedway riders’ weight
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Łukasz Rusiecki (ekstraliga.pl): How would you summarize the first team training camp in Mallorca? What was the main goal of the camp, and what other sports activities, besides cycling or playing golf, were undertaken?

Maciej Kuciapa (coach of ORLEN OIL MOTOR Lublin): The camp primarily aimed to maintain fitness and integrate the players. It was great that we could meet before the season and mainly wanted to sustain the form we had built earlier. As every year, we focused on road cycling, spending most of the day on bicycles, but besides that, we had recreational activities like golf, which was an interesting diversion after cycling and coffee breaks. For some, it was the first time they played golf, although some of them had already had opportunities to play. Overall, the camp aimed to integrate and maintain previously built form.

I assume that having such professionals in the team, you don’t need to meticulously monitor their form in winter. Was there a noticeable sense of competition among the players related to the eagerness to ride on the track?

I am very pleased with the tremendous commitment of my players, who are fully professional, and the way they approach not only training or nutrition but also life is very encouraging. I watched it with pleasure because the time spent at the camp was not dedicated to light walks but demanding physical training.

The team had the opportunity to train in cycling with Michał Kwiatkowski. Could advice from such athletes facilitate building speedway riders’ form?

Of course, every player talked to Michał Kwiatkowski, and basically, for every player, the pre-season preparations involved cycling training. As far as I know, everyone asked about topics related to supplementation or road cycling details. The players will surely leverage Michał Kwiatkowski’s advice, although it’s known he is a fully professional athlete, so it doesn’t fully translate to the accomplishments of speedway riders, but I consider this time positive in terms of training, which we ended with a coffee and exchange of opinions.

Currently, players are fighting hard to achieve the lowest possible weight. What is your opinion about the requirement of a minimum rider weight along with the motorcycle? Could such a solution make the discipline more interesting?

Such a solution would benefit players who are taller and weigh more. As for speedway riders competing in the PGE Ekstraliga, their weight is around 60 kilograms, and if a rider weighs over 70 kilograms, he cannot effectively compete at this level. Certainly, such a rule would level the playing field, but for now, there is no such regulation, although the guys are fighting hard for the lowest weight to help the motorcycle. It is definitely easier to adjust your equipment with low weight, and it surely helps achieve high speeds.

Are the plans regarding the first rides in Gorican still current? Has anything been modified or expanded in this respect? What is the current condition of the track in Lublin?

At the moment, we have great weather, and it’s never been as good at the beginning of the season as it is now. We certainly need such weather for at least 3-4 more days. Regarding the plan for riding in Gorican, nothing has changed in that respect, but if the weather is good, we might be able to go on the home track next week. Weather is key, and we really make decisions on a day-to-day basis. Currently, the track looks very good, but we must hope that favorable weather conditions won’t change, and the forecasted weather breakdown on Thursday won’t negatively affect our surface.

Currently, you have 8 juniors in the squad who meticulously prepared during winter preparations. Are you planning to register two teams for the Polish Team Junior Championships? What start policy is prepared for them?

We have gained Individual Ekstraliga U17 Cup competitions, so we will split the players based on their form and rotate them in the aforementioned competitions and also the Polish Team Junior Championships. Certainly, those in the best form will ride in the Polish Team Junior Championships, but we will try to make fair choices to ensure everyone has enough opportunities to ride and gather necessary experience.

Can we expect new trainees from the Lublin club to take the speedway license exam in spring?

We have one trainee preparing for the speedway license exam, but currently, we are waiting to get on the track. He is a young rider, so he needs more rides to feel confident on the motorcycle after the winter break. We’re waiting for the first license exam of this year, and if the rider has enough laps completed on the track, he will definitely try his luck.

Łukasz Rusiecki