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Polish Xtra/nice Leagues/etc Live On Tv

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The Sabmar TV Coverage has been brilliant really hope they carry on

 

I have a question - What is it about Polish Speedway that makes it so great to watch?

 

I have been watching the polish league for a couple of seasons now and really can't do without my weekly dose polish speedway.

 

OK SGP & SWC are always good

 

I also watch UK elite & premier league and the swedish league

 

I think almost all of the UK clubs would kill for stadiums and crowds like those in the Polish league but Polish speedway has something else about it that I can't quite put my finger on. Is it faster? Do the poles just do everything 100% at full throttle

 

My Polish is getting quite good as a result, I can speak to one of our Polish parcel delivery drivers in Polish and he answers me in Polish even though is English is perfect!

 

Simon

From my point of view its a combination of things that make it unmissable

1 Espically in the top league the atmosphere created by the crowd really helps

2 the riders from the top boys down to the reserves give it everything on well prepared tracks

3 the speed the meetings are run are in the main constant- 4 heats break 3 heats break etc etc - the breaks are just long enough to get summaries and interviews

4 the TV coverage is excellent - my friend Lukasz Benz- the cheeky chappie- is the best interviewer around

Edited by racers and royals

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In some ways I agree, atmosphere, efficiency, filming, pace of meeting all great. However, now having watched plenty from all the leagues (i.e. Brit., Pl, Russ, Dk, Sw.)(thanks R&R!)s I have come to the conclusion that the actual racing is little to no difference between them! All have, poor matches, the same % of FTG, "nearly " overtakes & great races. PL seems better due to crowds & good filming.But really all are much of a muchness when it comes down to the bare bones of racing.

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Elite League very often lacks quality while in the Polish league you truly have the top riders in the world, I think it's easier to get excited watching battles between the likes of Emil and Tai week in and week out then e.g. Richard Lawson and Justin Sedgmen (maybe not the best example considering he rode in the last few meetings for Falubaz).

 

Apart from that the tracks are longer or much longer (that doesn't apply to Belle Vue), so you don't have those ridiculous safety-pin corners like and because of that, it's indeed much faster.

 

Stadiums and good crowds are definitely a plus, but that applies to every sport.

 

And, of course, there's the pressure. Riders might not like it, but there's loads of pressure in Poland. Not only because of the crazy money that riders earn, but also because of the crazy fans. In EL you can get away with 3 or 4 bad meeting in a row, in Poland you're out, no matter if your name is Pedersen, Kildemand or Sedgmen. What's Nicki's contract in Poland? ~£1,5k per point I believe? One meeting lost = ~£15k lost, that's not peanuts...

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I agree with most of whats written about polish speedway crowds and speed plus good racing most of the time is what makes it great for me sometimes when i read how some on here think that speedway is a minority sport i shake my head growing up in Rzeszow with no internet at no time did i ever thought of speedway as anything but major sport you went to school the most talked about sport was speedway after you did your homework with use to race with my friends our bicycles pretending to be speedway riders now that i have grown up i realize its not as popular as i wished in other parts of the world. .

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My experience is similar to Pawel's.

 

I grew up in Poland in the early 90s. I had a chance to watch and admire Hans Nielsen for 4 years (1990-1993) when he raced for Motor Lublin. Speedway was everything back then and all my friends grew up watching it. After school we raced together on our bicycles and all of us dreamt to be the next Nielsen, Adams or Kępa. Good times :)

 

Back then it was much harder to follow the best speedway league in the world as all the TV commentators would call it, but I was very lucky to have ScreenSport on my cable. Was it the best TV channel in the history of TV or what? I loved it. I taped every single speedway meeting they showed. My basement is full of VHS cassettes with meetings like British Finals, some random tournaments from Wolverhampton or 1992 Team World Cup qualifying round from Norway (Tomasz Gollob show :D)

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My experience is similar to Pawel's.

 

I grew up in Poland in the early 90s. I had a chance to watch and admire Hans Nielsen for 4 years (1990-1993) when he raced for Motor Lublin. Speedway was everything back then and all my friends grew up watching it. After school we raced together on our bicycles and all of us dreamt to be the next Nielsen, Adams or Kępa. Good times :)

 

Back then it was much harder to follow the best speedway league in the world as all the TV commentators would call it, but I was very lucky to have ScreenSport on my cable. Was it the best TV channel in the history of TV or what? I loved it. I taped every single speedway meeting they showed. My basement is full of VHS cassettes with meetings like British Finals, some random tournaments from Wolverhampton or 1992 Team World Cup qualifying round from Norway (Tomasz Gollob show :D)

 

Ohhh the memories this brings back

 

I know a lot of riders say that speedway gets into your blood and thats why they are willing to jump on a 500cc bike with no brakes and risk everything I guess it effects supporters as well. Speedway was always my first love from when I was a child and I am now in my mid 50s

 

UK coverage on TV was alway pretty sparse until the likes of Sky came along so when my team (Cradley Heath) lost their home my love was curtailed somewhat.

 

I recall when I got my first company car and a fuel account myself and a couple of freinds did every Cradley home and away match one season. The girls in the office used to cover my absence at odd times mid week when I had to drive long distance to make a match. My mates girlfriend was a massive Greg Hancock fan and I remember we took a photo of him at Berwick leaning over the back wheel of his bike and he was looking straight at the camera because my mate shouted his attention while I took the shot. We had it blown up to poster size and framed and Greg was good enough to sign it for us one evening at Cradley.

 

We may be a few 1000Km apart but I guess kids will be kids no matter what! We were always racing on our bikes. We had a track that had been built by kids previous to us but it was always thought to be too small and it used to flood so one summer we relocated to better bit of waste ground and built a new track. The scars of both tracks are still clearly visible on google earth! Even now if I get on a mountain bike on the beach I can't resist tanking it then throwing it sideways in a big arc.

 

I had a friend (used to deliver their newspapers) who rode as a novice and he would let me clean his Jawa speedway bike anytime I wanted, I was even aloud to warm it up on the stand. I dont think the mixture of methanol and oil has done me any harm.

 

Polish extra league is my favorite viewing and I think those of you that answered my post have got it right. I know the money is big in Poland which is maybe why even though teams might need several 5 - 1s in heat 15 they are still giving it everything. Too often I watch british league and think riders are not giving it everything once there is no chance of a win (which I am sure is not true) but that is how it comes across.

 

Thanks everyone who answered my question.

 

Regards

 

Simon

Edited by SimonV
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Just the Extraleague to watch on Sunday- all UK times

programme starts 3.30pm 1st race 4pm Tarnow v Torun teams http://sportowefakty.wp.pl/zuzel/wydarzenie/60661 followed at

programme starts 6pm 1st race 6.30pm Leszno v Zielona Gora teams http://sportowefakty.wp.pl/zuzel/wydarzenie/60663

 

http://soccer-live.pl/transmisje.php?id=motorsport

http://www.meczyki.pl/

http://livelooker.com/en/tv,7,speedway.html

Edited by racers and royals

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And of course Poland are in the SWC Final on Sat night in Manchester.

 

they must have a very good chance of lifting this one, think the track will suit them as it's heavily based on Polish style tracks.

 

No Maciej J but KK who comes in to replace him has been there in the league.

 

Great to see DW#43 at the race off tonight.

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If any of you Brits are travelling to Poland for that Leszno -Zielona Gora match remember to have some kind of id on you and be prepared to be patted down by security as this match is one of those so called high risk matches.

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Deleted as I was talking rubbish here!

Edited by icicle

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