ŻUŻEL/NEWS/PGEE: Seven Times the Charm? Artem Laguta Hopes for a Breakthrough in MAXTO ITS IMME in Honor of Zenon Plech

The best speedway rider of the PGE Ekstraliga in the 2024 season definitely has no luck with his results in IMME. Last year, after a 3-year absence, he ended up in 12th position. Will the 34-year-old rider from BETARD SPARTA Wrocław show his true form as he did in the play-off phase of last season?

• Artem Laguta is the best speedway rider of the PGE Ekstraliga in the 2024 season, but his results in IMME so far have not been impressive.
• In last year’s edition, he placed 12th, scoring 6 points – one of his weakest results in these events.
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Laguta became the highest-scoring speedway rider of the PGE Ekstraliga last season with an average of 2.462, dethroning Bartosz Zmarzlik. Laguta’s performance was instrumental in BETARD SPARTA Wrocław winning the silver medal. As a leader of the Wrocław team, he achieved a remarkable average of 2.750 in the play-offs. However, even with such outstanding performance, Wrocław had no chance in the final against ORLEN OIL MOTOR Lublin.

Last year’s performance in IMME didn’t go as planned for Artem Laguta – the rider placed 12th with 6 points, not scoring any points in the first three races. Two victories in the last two series at the Łódź Motoarena were not enough for semi-final advancement.

In his six previous starts, Laguta has not once advanced to the final – he was closest in 2021. At that time, he finished 2nd in the semi-final, which marked the end of the event for him in 6th place. Other editions were a series of mediocre performances – 2017, his debut year in the tournament, saw him finish in 9th position. The next season once again resulted in a semi-final qualification after the main round, but again lacked a final qualification – Laguta ultimately finished 8th. His worst performances were in 2019 and 2020 as a rider for GKM Grudziądz, where he finished 11th and 12th respectively.

On April 4th, Laguta will compete in the MAXTO ITS IMME Individual International Championships of the Ekstraliga in memory of Zenon Plech for the 7th time. The 2021 World Champion holds an average of 1.484 in IMME, considering all his semi-final starts. Artem Laguta will certainly hope to maintain his outstanding form from the end of the 2024 season on April 4th in Łódź.   

Artem Laguta’s Statistics:

• 2017 – 9th place – 11 points
• 2018 – 8th place – 9 points
• 2019 – 11th place – 6 points
• 2020 – 12th place – 5 points
• 2021 – 6th place – 12 points
• 2024 – 12th place – 6 points

Ticket sales are ongoing for the event (50 PLN regular, 25 PLN discounted, 150 PLN VIP), which can be purchased at https://www.biletynazuzel.pl/.

Discounted tickets are available for children and youth under the age of 18. Only they are entitled to this type of discount for MAXTO ITS IMME in memory of Z. Plech. School IDs or IDs of persons with discounted tickets will be checked upon entering the stadium. The VIP ticket price includes parking and a program of the event.

Błażej Kowol