What speedway really means

*tip*

Read the first person’s lines in ozzy accent

‘So what is speedway mate?’

‘It’s a motorsport. It’s huge in Poland. You must have heard of it. There are loads of Australian bikers, quite good actually.’

‘Nope. First time I’m hearing it. Do you know it Peter?’

‘Nope. Bet Poland are world champions or something like that?’

‘Well, actually we are…’*

This is a real life conversation I had with my good friends. I was so convinced they’d be all excited about speedway and the world’s biggest speedway stadium built in my hometown that I was caught totally off guard learning they had absolutely no idea what speedway was. They prefered cricket...

Incredulous as it sounds, especially if you’re a Polish speedway fan, this sport is hardly any popular outside of Poland.

I know, right?! It’s far behind CRICKET. I mean HOW?! It is way faster (see the ‘speed’ hint hidden in the name), easier to understand and genuinely more fun than a bunch of guys pretending to play when in fact they are watching two of their teammates run from one post to the other, which doesn’t happen so often anyway.

All this compared with speedway.

A sport where you have special bikes spitting brute force from their exhausts, no silencers, with unforgiving gravel tracks,a smell of methanol**and dedicated Polish crowds cheering louder than the roars of combustion engines. If you’re an environmentalist this sport will give you a heart attack. If you’re adrenaline junk you must see it!

‘But what about the rules? I know nothing about it…’

Once and for all this is not cricket! It’s not complicated, there is no need to know the rules to enjoy watching it. There are literally two things you have to pay attention to: who’s from your team and who crosses the line first, second and third. Simple as that. It’s not rocket science. They even turn left only and always do four laps. The winner of each race takes 3 points, the runner up 2 points and the third to cross the finish line secures a point. Then all the points are added up and the team that scores more wins. You don’t even have to do the maths, because everything is on the scoreboard. To know who’s from your team just look at their helmets, each of the bikers will be wearing a different one, and just pay attention the colours of the pair representing your side. I can admit that being colourblind may be a disadvantage, but hey! You can still enjoy it! Just follow the crowd.

And the speedway crowds can be mental! They sing, they jump, they cheer. They know the names of their bikers by heart, they know the bikes they’re riding, and they know the game. Oh, I almost forgot to mention: they’re unforgiving and tend to swear a lot. No mistakes will slip through unnoticed, regardless whether it’s referee’s, biker’s or the opponents’ fault. They are there to live and enjoy the black sport***. And of course the best speedway supporters in the world are from Toruń. No doubt about that. I’m a toruniak**** and I know!

In fact Polish speedway rivalries can get quite heatened up. There are some legendary enmities and clashings that divide the map of Poland. There are two most classic ones: Gorzów and Zielona Góra, and the immense one between Bydgoszcz and Toruń. Luckily, the clashes ending with really serious fights belong more to a distant past, and now it all comes down to stadium-chanted insults and witty names. Hence you’ll quickly learn who ‘Krzyżacy’ and who ‘Tyfusy’***** are! So don’t worry! It will be boiling with emotions but also it’ll remain perfectly safe, so you’re very much likely to experience something truly brilliant. Especially in Motoarena, the home stadium for Apator Toruń******.

I wasn’t joking when I said that I tried to astound my Australian friends when I mentioned that the world’ biggest speedway stadium was in my hometown. It turned out not to work the way I intended it to do, but it doesn’t mean that the Toruń’s Motoarena is not exciting. Come over especially during the play-offs. It is buzzing with excitement and passion and it will very much impress you. Especially with the lights on!

So, taking it all into one paragraph.

Behind the name speedway there is a boiling pot of sportsmanship, motorsport, brute force,  passion, and dedication for everyone who is daring enough to give it a go!

And if you happen to spend your Erasmus in Toruń.
Well this is a must do for you!
You’re a Krzyżak now!

Glossary

*Yes, we are current title holders for the team world championships, and Poland is an all time second most titled nation in Speedway world championships (right behind Denmark).

**The smell of methanol is a popular Polish saying when one refers to speedway. In fact methanol has got no smell whatsoever, and the characteristic whiff floating around the track during the speedway matches is in fact caused by different engine oils and greases burning when the bikes are taken to their limits.

***’the black sport’ has got nothing to do with races of any kind, it is a popular reference to speedway and it originated because of the characteristic black gravel used to make speedway tracks.

****a toruniak is a person from Toruń, you can read more about my hometown for example here

*****Krzyżacy and Tyfusy - the insulting names given to each other by fans of two speedway arch enemies Polonia Bydgoszcz (Tyfusy) and Apator Toruń (Krzyżacy). The name Tyfusy refers to the epidemic of typhoid fever that decimated Bydgoszcz in 19th century and toruniaks eagerly and ruthlessly like to remind that the typhoid wasn’t this notorious in their city. On the other hand the insult Krzyżacy invented by Polonia Bydgoszcz fans was eagerly adopted by Apator’s fans. It refers to the knights of Teutonic Order who established the city. It was meant to be insulting as in Polish tradition the German Teutonic Order is usually portrayed as merciless aggressors, mostly because of the misleading book by Henryk Sienkiewicz ‘Krzyżacy’. However, many historians have argued that the Teutonic Order weren’t all this barbaric and what was intended to be an insult in Toruń is regarded as source of pride.

******Apator Toruń is the old name of the local speedway team and it has been changed numerous times since the company Apator ceased to sponsor the club. Currently it is officially called simply K.S Toruń,  however many people still refer to it by its old and most famous name.

Important information

Make sure to cheer for and support Marcin Kościelski when you're on Motoarena.

There is still some animosity between Polish speedway fans, and even though it is not as notorious as in the past it still can be dangerous to try to follow all the behaviours of the fanclubs of each team. It’s definitely better and safer to enjoy the atmosphere they’re creating, but not to get involved in any such rivalry. Also in Toruń the speedway and football fans of the local Elana Toruń share a long and fierce hatred towards each other (stupid as it sounds as they’re from the same city and competing in different sports, but sadly these are the facts) and it might be safer not to provoke anyone with scarfs, T-shirts or hats representing one or the other club.

By no means am I a huge speedway fan, and there are definitely people who know the sport way better than I do. Therefore it is possible that there are some minor mistakes in the text, and I would be really grateful for any comments as what to improve about it. You can leave them below.

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