POLISH HERO JANOWSKI READY FOR ALL-ACTION MONSTER ENERGY FIM SWC FINAL IN HOME CITY WROCLAW

Polish hero Maciej Janowski warned fans “don’t blink too much because there will be a lot of action” in the Monster Energy FIM Speedway World Cup Final in Wroclaw tonight.

Magic watched from the Olympic Stadium terraces as Poland clinched the iconic Ove Fundin Trophy in his home city in 2005.

Now he bids for his fourth Monster Energy FIM SWC gold medal as the hosts and reigning champions take on Semi-Final 1 winners Great Britain, Semi-Final 2 victors Denmark and FIM Speedway of Nations world champions Australia, who won last night’s Race Off.

Janowski teams up with triple world champion Bartosz Zmarzlik, Patryk Dudek, Janusz Kolodziej and Dominik Kubera as the Poles chase a record ninth FIM SWC gold medal. But Magic knows this stellar side faces one of their toughest battles in the race for team speedway’s biggest prize. 

He said: “We need to be smart and be ready for a hard battle. For a long time, I haven’t seen such a close competition between all the teams. Denmark have a great team and Great Britain have a great team. I can see Australia also have an amazing team. This will be very interesting.

“All I would say to fans in Wroclaw is have fun, don’t blink too much because there will be a lot of action and I hope they will go out of the stadium with a big smile. 

“I am very happy to have that opportunity to represent my country. I am very excited to have this event in my home city. I am sure this will be an amazing night for the fans and the riders. We have a great team and great riders. But we need to be focused on every point and every heat. The rest of the teams are also good like our team.”

Janowski raced his first Monster Energy FIM SWC Final in Prague 10 years ago and is no stranger to such big occasions, so he’s confident he can handle the pressure of one of world speedway’s biggest nights. He said: “After so many years of racing a speedway bike in a lot of different events – the Grand Prix, Speedway of Nations, World Games and more, I feel ready and excited. I don’t feel any different pressure than in other meetings. I will not create more pressure than it is. I am getting ready, and I think we are all prepared.”

Janowski has endured a tough start to the 2023 Speedway GP series and is placed 13th in the standings on 33 points, having reached one semi-final from the opening six rounds. But that doesn’t mean the ice-cool Pole heads into the Monster Energy FIM SWC Final struggling for self-belief.

He said: “I don’t feel like I am low on confidence. I feel good and I feel prepared. Sometimes I maybe make the wrong decisions. Sometimes it’s up and down, but Saturday is a different story, and the next day will be another story. I will prepare the best I can for Saturday and do my best.”

Janowski knows he isn’t the only rider who knows the Olympic Stadium track well. He comes up against Wroclaw teammates Tai Woffinden and Dan Bewley, who have raced for the club since 2012 and 2020 respectively.

While Magic has raced for the club from a young age, he admits the GB duo also has plenty of local knowledge. He said: “It’s hard to compare who knows that track better. They have also done thousands of laps here. The difference will be how we feel on that night. I believe I can bring some good points for my team.”

Having witnessed Poland win the Ove Fundin Trophy here in Wroclaw for the very first time in 2005, Janowski can’t wait to write his own memories.

He said: “I was there. Normally our parents used to take us to every big meeting at the stadium. That was the time when there were five riders in the team and 25 races. Good memories! Obviously the good memory was that Poland won!”