Speedway: Falubaz Zielona Gora defeats Unia Leszno 51-37

01/25

Caption

One of the Unia Leszno riders (in the red helmet) is surrounded by two rivals from Zielona Gora during the race.

02/25

Caption

One of the Falubaz Zielona Gora fans leans out of the fence after his team has won the match.

03/25

Caption

Andreas Jonsson and Rune Holta from Falubaz race ahead of Damian Balinski and Przemyslaw Pawlicki from Unia Leszno in the thirteenth race.

04/25

Caption

Andreas Jonsson (no. 5) scored 14 points and Rune Holta (no. 4) 6 for Falubaz Zielona Gora. They lead in front of Damian Balinski, the best rider of Unia Leszno who scored 9 points.

05/25

Caption

Fans of Falubaz Zielona Gora waive their yellow-green-and-white scarves after their team has won yet another race.

06/25

Caption

Piotr Protasiewicz (no. 1) and Patryk Dudek (no. 6) lead ahead of Tobiasz Musielak from Unia Leszno. Protasiewicz and Dudek represent two generations of very good Polish speedway riders.

07/25

Caption

Bunch of riders, led by Piotr Protasiewicz from Falubaz Zielona Gora, enters the starting straight in one of the final races.

08/25

Caption

One of the youngest fans of Unia Leszno with a club scarf.

09/25

Caption

Fans of Unia Leszno shout towards the Falubaz Zielona Gora's supporters.

10/25

Caption

A blue-and-white flag of Unia Leszno waves near the starting line.

11/25

Caption

Two fans wear blue-and-white banners of Unia Leszno.

12/25

Caption

Adam Strzelec from Falubaz Zielona Gora lies on the track after a minor crash. He was disqualified for intentional fall, but the doctor prohibited him from racing again.

13/25

Caption

Fans of Unia Leszno cheer after one of the few races that were won by this team's riders.

14/25

Caption

One of the Unia Leszno team riders takes the second corner and enters the starting straight, looking to the side.

15/25

Caption

Riders prepare for the start of the eight race out of total fifteen. This race was won by two Zielona Gora riders, who took 5 points. Leszno took one point for Jurica Pavlic's third place.

16/25

Caption

A sizeable group of Zielona Gora supporters was separated from the other fans, as these two teams are known for not liking each other.

17/25

Caption

Unia Leszno is famous for its fans, one of the best in the Polish speedway. While the sport is very popular nationally, in Leszno it is particularly important for the local population.

18/25

Caption

Kamil Adamczewski, a young rider from the Unia Leszno team, lies on the track after a minor accident. He was disqualified for this fall and did not return to the track again this evening.

19/25

Caption

Przemyslaw Pawlicki, one of young riders in the Unia Leszno team, prepares for the start. He scored 8 points and was one of the best in his team.

20/25

Caption

A group of riders enters the second corner in one of the initial races. Unia Leszno riders wear red and blue helmets.

21/25

Caption

One of the Stelmet Falubaz Zielona Góra riders leads the race (in the yellow helmet) ahead of one of the Unia Leszno riders. The match was level initially, but later Zielona Góra took the lead.

22/25

Caption

Jurica Pavlic, young Croat from the Unia Leszno team, starts to another race from the inside grid. The track was described as very difficult by riders of both teams.

23/25

Caption

Jurica Pavlic, young Croat representing the Unia Leszno team, scored only 5 points and disappointed only one day after he reached a final in the Speedway Grand Prix of Croatia.

24/25

Caption

Piotr Protasiewicz, the captain and most succesful sportsman in the Falubaz Zielona Gora team, scored 13 points and was almost unbeatable.

25/25

Caption

Fans under the main stand of the Alfred Smoczyk stadium in Leszno, named after a legendary speedway rider from this city.

Report current story

Falubaz Zielona Gora defeated Unia Leszno 51-37 in the 14th round of the Polish Speedway League. Unia Leszno, one of the most succesful teams, has almost the lost chance to reach the playoffs in this current season.

Despite racing on its home track at the Smoczyk Stadium in Leszno, Unia was no match for the much better Zielona Gora team. Falubaz, an arch-rival of Unia Leszno, put an exceptional performance. Andreas Jonsson (Sweden) and Piotr Protasiewicz (Poland) scored 14 and 13 points for Zielona Gora, respectively, and another 11 were added by Patryk Dudek, a young talent from Poland.

Leszno side, weakened by absence of its star rider Jaroslaw Hampel, could not match their opponents. Damian Balinski and Piotr Pawlicki (both Poland) did not disappoint, scoring respectively 9 and 8 points. However, Jurica Pavlic (Croatia) rode worse than expected after he had reached a final race of the Croatia Grand Prix the day before. He scored only 5 points. Troy Batchelor, Australian talent, scored just one more for the Leszno team.

After the loss Unia Leszno has fallen to the fifth position. Although there are still four matches to be played, Unia has significantly lowered its chances to get to the play-offs, reserved for the four best sides. Falubaz Zielona Gora, on the other hand, has strengthened itself on the second position.

The match was watched live by some 11 thousand spectators, including some 900 from Zielona Gora. Speedway is one of the most popular sports in Poland.