18-year-old Polish rider, Matteusz Swindicki is racing his first ever season in the Ekstraliga. And with the whole speedway world focusing in on the only league to be racing at the moment, the young Pole is even more in the limelight as he slots in at #6 or #7 on the ELTROX WLOKNIARZ Czestochowa team alongside fellow junior, Jakub Miskowiak.
After the first three rounds the team are in first place and Swindicki himself has clocked up an average of 1.556. That puts him above experienced riders, such as Swedish SGP rider, Antonio Lindbäck and well as older compatriots such as Krzysztof Kasprzak and Krzysztof Buczkowski.
Last year was his first in Nice 2 where he was racing with Wilki Krosno. “It was a really hard season, you had to fight hard for points and everyone has good motorcycles”, he says reflecting on 2019.
And whilst he finished the season with an average of 1.532, his highlight was actually the silver with Czestochowa in the Polish Junior Team Championship in September.
Understandably, this year is something extra special as he takes on first team duties with Wlokniarz, “riding with a lion on the plastron is a dream come true for me”, he says excitedly, “being in a team with Fredrik Lindgren or Jason Doyle is a unique experience,” he adds.
It seems that the 18-year-old is thriving in the big time. His team have scored at least 53 points in every game and Swidnicki is not just a bystander, he is a contributor. In the first match of the season he scored 6 points. He won Heat 8 and together with the Australian former World Champion, Jason Doyle. They took a 5-1 against no less than the talented duo of Kenneth Bjerre and Przemyslaw Pawlicki from MRGARDEN GKM Grudziadz.
Looking ahead to the rest of the season, he is taking it one match at a time, focusing on getting as many points as he can. But he hints in the future that Sweden might be on the cards, “racing in the Swedish league is also my dream,” he says, “the tracks in Sweden aren’t easy, but thanks to that I can learn a lot,” he philosophises.
ELTROX WLOKNIARZ Czestochowa are making a serious bid to oust perennial favourite, FOGO UNIA Leszno from the top spot in Polish speedway. Whilst the club’s superstars, like Leon Madsen, might make the headlines, do not forget the important role of riders, like Swidnicki as he debuts at the top level of the sport.
Mattuesz is sponsored by Team Zuzelend and Five One Racing wants to thank them for making this interview possible. Read more at about Polish speedway at www.zuzelend.com
