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BRUMMIES ASSESS PAWLICKI OPTIONS

Birmingham director of speedway Laurence Rogers says Brummies have been very busy seeking cover for Polish star Piotr Pawlicki as he looks set to start the British season on the sidelines.The former Speedway GP rider suffered a leg muscle injury during a training camp with Polish club Zielona Gora and has been forced to sit out their pre-season preparations for now.But while Falubaz’s first meeting is on April 12, Brummies get started with a Sports Insure Premiership trip to fellow newly-promoted side Oxford next Thursday.Given that Pawlicki hasn’t raced a meeting for Birmingham, the club may not be entitled to a guest or rider replacement facility, meaning they could be forced to recruit a short-term signing to cover for the Leszno-born man.Rogers says work is underway to assess Brummies’ options. He said: “We’ve had all the paperwork through from the hospital and the doctor, nicely translated into English, and he is going to miss the first few weeks of the season due to muscle damage in one of his legs.“Between Sam (Ermolenko - team manager), Chris (Adams - assistant team manager), myself and Nigel (Tolley - CEO), we’ve been very busy. It’s not a case of picking a name out and they appear all of a sudden.“We’ve checked with the SCB (Speedway Control Bureau) what we’re allowed to do and what we’re not allowed to do, what the visa situation is; we’ve spoken to various riders, but we’ve got to see what’s available out there. We’re doing what we can.”Pawlicki will still play a part in Birmingham’s pre-season off the track, attending their press and practice day on Monday and British Speedway’s Premiership Media Day in Manchester on March 20.Rogers hit back at rumours Pawlicki won’t take his place at Perry Barr. He said: “I’ve seen some of the rumours there that, ‘We’re not going to see him’, but it was he who was determined he was going to still be at our press and practice next Monday to be with the lads and meet the fans in the evening and then the following week he will fly in to do the Media Day at Belle Vue.“That is brilliant, and it shows his commitment to the club; the doom and gloom merchants are out there saying, ‘He’s going to let you down’. Well, no he’s not. He was in a really downhearted mood on Wednesday when we spoke to him about the situation.”

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HAMPEL: WARSAW TRUMPS EVERYTHING

Former world No.2 Jaroslaw Hampel admits the Orlen FIM Speedway GP of Poland – Warsaw “trumps everything” in the series.Hampel has raced in Poland’s biggest speedway event just once, finishing third behind meeting winner Matej Zagar and runner-up Chris Harris in 2015.The PGE Narodowy showcase has gone from strength to strength since, regularly attracting crowds of over 50,000 fans to the Polish capital and the nation’s most iconic venue.Hampel’s Speedway GP career was all but ended by a broken leg in the 2015 FIM Speedway World Cup. But the six-time FIM SWC winner and two-time SGP silver medallist is still picking up honours and helped Lublin to PGE Ekstraliga title wins in 2022 and 2023 – the first top-flight championships in the club’s history.Now with newly-promoted Zielona Gora, the 41-year-old races on at the highest level in 2024.Asked if he dreamed of one more Speedway GP appearance, there’s no doubt where Hampel would make it.He said: “You know that would be Warsaw. I had the opportunity to experience the atmosphere of this event. In recent years, we have seen that the track conditions are perfect and the competition itself is very interesting.“These are some of the best organised and media-friendly tournaments in the series – at the beautiful PGE Narodowy stadium, filled with fans. “This is a huge advantage of these tournaments – they create the atmosphere and when it comes to Speedway GP, people talk about Warsaw. This event trumps everything. This is the biggest event in the series. Everyone wants to do their best and win.”Hampel is a six-time Speedway GP winner – and it’s the last of those victories which stands out to him, when he won the FIM Scandinavian Speedway GP with a seven-ride, 21-point maximum to fire himself into the 2015 series. “It's a beautiful stadium and I had a great time there,” he said.

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PIOTR PAWLICKI FACES DELAYED START TO SEASON AFTER INJURY

Polish star Piotr Pawlicki has withdrawn from PGE Ekstraliga club Zielona Gora’s first training sessions after suffering a leg muscle injury during their training camp in Świnoujście.The former Speedway GP winner was due to take part in training sessions with his teammates in Rzeszow, but now faces a few weeks on the sidelines to recover from the injury.He told Falubaz.com: “Preparations in the winter were intense, but unfortunately at the end, one of the muscles was injured. “Now I need a few weeks’ break to get back to full fitness. There is no reason to worry. I will join the team at the end of March. Now I have a short convalescence, and, in a moment, there will be no trace of the injury.”Pawlicki was due to make his debut for British Sports Insure Premiership club Birmingham when they travel to Oxford on March 14 in one of the first official UK speedway matches of 2024.But he has more time to prepare for his mainland European schedule with Zielona Gora’s opening match away to Wroclaw around five weeks away on April 12. His Swedish fixtures with Piraterna do not start until May 7.Zielona Gora team manager Piotr Protasiewicz said: “Piotr is behaving very sensibly. There is no need to risk more serious injury. He is such an experienced competitor that he will certainly cope, even if he takes to the track a little later.”

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BECKER BAGS WILD CARD FOR EKSTRALIGA INDIVIDUAL IN LODZ

American international Luke Becker represents his Polish club Lodz against a host of FIM Speedway Grand Prix stars after being handed the wild card for the International Individual Ekstraliga Championship (IMME) on April 5.Becker, who made his Speedway GP debut in Torun last October, lines up on his Polish home track against nine SGP regulars.Four-time Speedway GP world champion and last year’s Ekstraliga Individual champion Bartosz Zmarzlik leads a stellar field, which also includes world No.2 Fredrik Lindgren, Martin Vaculik, Jack Holder, Leon Madsen, Dan Bewley, Jason Doyle, Mikkel Michelsen and Dominik Kubera.Along with double SGP2 champion Mateusz Cierniak, Becker is one of just two riders in a stellar field yet to race full-time in the Speedway GP series.The IMME line-up also features 2021 Speedway GP world champion Artem Laguta, former world No.3 Emil Sayfutdinov, 2023 Speedway GP first reserve Max Fricke and former SGP riders Anders Thomsen and Janusz Kolodziej.Lodz’s impressive Metalkas 2. Ekstraliga stadium will host Poland’s equivalent of Britain’s old Premiership Riders Championship – named in honour of former world No.2 Zenon Plech.The two track reserves for the IMME event have also been confirmed, with Leszno’s 2023 SGP2 star Damian Ratajczak at No.17 and Czestochowa’s talented young gun Kajetan Kupiec named at No.18.

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KVECH: PEACE OF MIND FOR SPEEDWAY GP DEBUT SEASON

Czech racer Jan Kvech says he approaches his FIM Speedway Grand Prix debut season with “peace of mind” as he faces the biggest campaign of his career so far in 2024.Kvech finished fifth at the FIM SGP Challenge in Gislaved last August to book his place among the sport’s elite for the very first time.The Zielona Gora star raced to SGP2 FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship silver in 2022 and is now getting ready to take on the likes of world champion Bartosz Zmarzlik, Fredrik Lindgren and Martin Vaculik on a regular basis.With his full-time debut on the Speedway GP stage just under two months away, Kvech admits he has changed a few things as he prepares to chase World Championship points over 11 tough rounds. And he is happy with his build-up to the SGP season.He told Ekstraliga.pl: “A lot of things have changed in my preparation and technique. There are also a few changes in my team. “I feel well prepared, and I approach it with peace of mind. Who knows what it will be like? However, I know that I will approach each meeting with full commitment, and I will want to achieve the best results possible.”Kvech’s 2023 season was brought to a premature end after he suffered multiple fractures to his left wrist in a training crash in his homeland.With that now healed, he is stepping up his pre-season preparations. He added: “I can say that the winter passed very quickly, and I recovered from the injury I had at the end of last season. After rehabilitation, I returned to training and now I feel very good. I am well prepared for the season.”

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BRUMMIES ASSESS PAWLICKI OPTIONS

HAMPEL: WARSAW TRUMPS EVERYTHING

PIOTR PAWLICKI FACES DELAYED START TO SEASON AFTER INJURY

BECKER BAGS WILD CARD FOR EKSTRALIGA INDIVIDUAL IN LODZ

KVECH: PEACE OF MIND FOR SPEEDWAY GP DEBUT SEASON