Speedway

 

Passion for speedway

History

  • 8th May 1938 – founding of the Leszczyński Klub Motorowy (Leszno Motorcycle Club) whose main objective was to promote motorcycle sport and organize sports events and trips.
  • 18th September 1938 – first championships at the Leszno “Sokół” Stadium. Thirty riders took part.
  • 2nd May 1946 – re-establishing of the Leszczyński Klub Motorowy (Leszno Motorcycle Club) after The Second World War.
  • 28th July 1949 – the club adopts a new name, “Unia Leszno”, due to changes in legal regulations concerning sports associations.
  • 23rd October 1949 – Alfred Smoczyk wins the first finals of the Polish Individual Championships in Leszno, in the next season Józef Olejniczak wins the finals in Cracow.
  • 1949-54 – “Unia Leszno” wins Polish Team Championships in six consecutive years.
  • 7th October 1951 – first Alfred Smoczyk Memorial championships.
  • 1958-1964 – golden period in the history of the club: third, sixth and fourth places in Polish Premier League competitions.
  • 1963 – Henryk Żyto, a third speedway rider from “Unia Leszno” to win the gold medal in Polish Individual Championships (Rybnik).
  • 1967 – Zbigniew Jąder and Zdzisław Dobrucki finish first and second in the first finals of the Polish Junior Individual Championships in Bydgoszcz. In the following year they win again with reverse positions on the podium.
  • 1968 – due to hooligan incidents during the match with Polonia Bydgoszcz, “Unia Leszno” is banned from organizing speedway matches in Leszno for six months. The 18th A. Smoczyk Memorial does not take place.
  • 1976 – new golden period begins. In the Polish Team Championships the team finishes third and Zdzisław Dobrucki wins the title of Individual Champion of Poland.
  • 1978 - Bernard Jąder, the rider from “Unia Leszno” wins the Polish Individual Championships Finals , in 1980 he wins again.
  • 1979 – 80 - “Unia Leszno” wins in two consecutive Polish Team Championships.
  • 1984 – “Unia Leszno” wins the League competitions. The best riders are: R. Jankowski, Z.Kasprzak and M.Okoniewski.
  • 1987 – return of “Unia Leszno” to the top rank positions and the next gold medal for the team whose riders do not lose a single match in 1987.
  • 1988–1989 – “Unia Leszno” becomes the champion again winning almost all championships in that period.
  • 1991 – after a streak of successes in 1980s “Unia Leszno” drops to Second League.
  • 2002 – “Unia Leszno” wins the silver medal in Polish Team Championships.
  • 2003 - Damian Baliński, Rafał Dobrucki, Krzysztof Kasprzak win gold medals in the Polish Club Pairs Championships.
  • 2004 – Krzysztof Kasprzak wins the silver medal in the Polish Junior Individual Championships.
  • 2006 – the club changes its name to “Unia Leszno Sportowa Spółka Akcyjna” (Unia Leszno – Sports Joint-stock Company)

Alfred Smoczyk – unquestionable star of Polish speedway. He was born on 11th October 1928 in Kościan. He joined the Leszczyński Klub Motorowy (Leszno Motorcycle Club) in 1946. From the very beginning of his career he proved that he was not only a magnificent rider but also a great personality. His brilliant victories such as the one during the first international speedway match with Czechoslovakia brought him great popularity and admiration. Fans went crazy when he won all races in a match. Alfred Smoczyk won the hearts of fans abroad too when he marked his place in the history of speedway by winning in Amsterdam where the Dutch team was beaten for the first time in history on their own track; what is more, he won one of the races in spite of initial defects of his motorcycle. Alfred Smoczyk had numerous offers from clubs abroad but he remained in Poland. His fantastic career ended on 29th September 1950 when this greatly talented and admired rider died in a tragic accident . In 1951 the first A. Smoczyk Memorial Championsips took place, an event which has been held until today.

Achievements of the club

  • “Unia Leszno” is one of the best speedway clubs in Poland with many awards:
  • 23 medals in Polish Team Championships (11 gold, 5 silver, 7 bronze)
  • 19 medals in Polish Individual Championships (9 gold, 5 silver, 5 bronze)
  • 15 medals in Polish Junior Individual Championships (6 gold, 4 silver, 5 bronze)
  • 12 medals in Polish Club Pairs Championships (6 gold, 6 silver)
  • 7 medals in Polish Junior Team Championships (3 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze)
  • 4 medals in Polish Junior Club Pairs Championships (3 gold, 1 bronze)
  • 1 medal in European Pairs Championsips (gold)
  • 1 medal in World Junior Individual Championships (gold)
  • 1 medal in World Junior Team Championships (gold)
  • 1 medal in World Team Championships (gold)

Alfred Smoczyk Stadium

Speedway stadium:
Capacity: 25 000 seats
Track length: 330 metres
Track record: 58.4 seconds - Krzysztof Kasprzak (03.05.2007).
Lighting – 1400 Lux

Athletics stadium:
It has a 6-lane running track with polyurethane- rubber surface with water jump as well as long jump, triple jump, high jump, javelin and shot put facilities and a football pitch.

Cycle Speedway track – it is part of the sports complex suitable for organizing league competitions in Cycle Speedway . In the last few years it has hosted many prestigious Cycle Speedway events such as the Polish Championships and World Championships in 2005.

Open-air swimming-pool – dimensions: 50 x 20 m, paddling pool: 20 x 10m, slides and playground for children, it also has volleyball and basketball courts.

Bowling alley – it is situated at the stadium sports complex, it has four alleys with facilities.

Skate Park – it consists of three sports ramps with asphalt tracks and rails for roller skating or skateboarding.

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