Falubaz Zielona Góra is a Polish

motorcycle speedway Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to simply as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four clockwise, anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. The motorcycles are specialist machines that ...

team based in

Zielona Góra Zielona Góra (; ''Green Mountain''; ) is the largest city in Lubusz Voivodeship, located in western Poland, with 140,403 inhabitants (). The region is closely associated with vineyards and holds an annual Zielona Góra Wine Fest, Wine Fest. Zie ...

who currently races in PGE Ekstraliga. It is one of the most successful teams in Poland, winning seven

Team Speedway Polish Championship The Team Speedway Polish Championship ( Polish: ''Drużynowe Mistrzostwa Polski, DMP'') is an annual speedway event held each year in different Polish clubs organized by the Polish Motor Union (PZM) since 1948. In 2000, the First Division was r ...

s (latest in 2013). It is commonly known as ''Falubaz'' due to one of its former names.

Stadium

The Zielona Góra Speedway Stadium, informally named as ''W69'', is located on 69 Wrocławska Street. It contains 15,000 seats. The track is 337.50 metres long and has a granite surface. It has had an inflatable airfence since May 4, 2006. The stadium was later renovated with floodlights erected and the track widened on the bends. The club's new headquarters were also built and moved from 31 Dworcowa Street.

History

1946 to 1979

The club was founded in 1946 with the establishing of a motorcycle department of Militia Sports Club (

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

''Milicyjny Klub Sportowy''). The first speedway race in the city took place on a 450 meters long track on October 20, 1946. The winner was Zygmunt Dolata as he holds best time of the meeting. In 1947, Mieczysław Chlebisz, a re-emigrant from the United Kingdom, arrived back in the city, bringing the first professional speedway motorcycle which had been used in Britain. In 1948, a ''Poznan District League'' was set up, containing nine teams, including Unia Zielona Góra. The club's riders were (in alphabetical order): Jerzy Błoch, Mieczysław Chlebicz, Kazimierz Juzala, Alfons Kostusiak, Ksawery Sawicki, Józef Śmigielski, Stanisław Świstak and Marian Zadoń.

Second division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

honours were won in 1963/1964,

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

and

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

. In between they won the bronze medal in the

1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...

and in

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

they won their second bronze medal.

1980 to 1999

The 1980s saw a period of significant success for the club; they won their first team gold medal in

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

and followed this up by defending their crown in

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...

. In addition,

Andrzej Huszcza Andrzej Huszcza (born 10 March 1957 in Krępa, Poland) is a Polish former international motorcycle speedway rider. He earned 45 international caps for the Poland speedway team. Career Huszcza rode for Falubaz Zielona Góra for thirty years ...

won the 1982

Polish Individual Speedway Championship The Individual Speedway Polish Championship ( Polish: ''Indywidualne Mistrzostwa Polski, IMP'') is an annual speedway event held each year organized by the Polish Motor Union (PZM) since 1932. The current Polish Champion is Maciej Janowski, w ...

. Other riders at the time included

Henryk Olszak Henryk may refer to: * Henryk (given name) * Henryk, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, a village in south-central Poland * Henryk Glacier, an Antarctic glacier * Henryk JanikowskiSoccer Player (polish National) See also * Henryk Batuta hoax Henryk Bat ...

Maciej Jaworek Maciej Jaworek (born 24 February 1961) is a former international Motorcycle speedway, speedway rider from Poland. Speedway career A protégé of Falubaz Zielona Góra, he started competing for them in 1978, when he obtained his license. Recogni ...

and

Jan Krzystyniak Jan Krzystyniak (born 14 March 1958 in Zielona Góra, Poland) is a Polish former motorcycle speedway rider and speedway team manager. Career Krzystyniak received his speedway license in 1978, following the steps of his brother Alfred. Until 19 ...

. Just three years later in

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

they secured a third gold medal and

was Polish champion in

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

. The good form continued as they picked up a silver medal in

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

before winning a fourth Championship gold medal in

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

. The period of success was followed by nine seasons of mediocrity.

2000 to 2007

When the Ekstraliga was introduced in 2000, Zielona Gora were in 1. Liga but were able to win the division and return to the top league for 2001. However they bounced back and forth from the divisions winning the 1.Liga in both

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

and

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

Rafał Okoniewski Rafał Okoniewski (born 26 January 1980) is a Polish former motorcycle speedway, speedway rider. Career Okoniewski started riding in 1996 and is the son of former speedway rider Mariusz Okoniewski (1956–2006). He is the only rider to win the ...

won the Golden Helmet in

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

2008 to present

It was not until

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

that they won a top league honour, winning the bronze medal, before being crowned champions of Poland in

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

for the fifth time in their history. The team then embarked on another superb run, winning the

Polish Pairs Speedway Championship The Polish Pairs Speedway Championship ( Polish: ''Mistrzostwa Polski Par Klubowych, MPPK'') is an annual speedway event held each year in different Polish clubs organized by the Polish Motor Union (PZM) since 1974. The participating teams are dr ...

in 2009 (

Rafał Dobrucki Rafał Dobrucki (born 27 December 1976 Poland) is a Polish former speedway rider. He earned four international caps for the Poland speedway team. Career On 25 July 1999 he won the Continental Final, which formed part of the 2000 Speedway ...

and

Grzegorz Walasek Grzegorz Walasek (born 29 August 1976) is a Polish motorcycle speedway rider who has competed in the Speedway Grand Prix series and earned 15 international caps for the Poland national speedway team. Career Born in Krosno Odrzańskie, Poland, ...

), team silver in

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

, gold in

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

and

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

. Some of the star riders at the time were former world champion

Greg Hancock Gregory Alan Hancock (born June 3, 1970, in Whittier, California) is a former professional motorcycle speedway rider from the United States. As of 2023, he was one of only six riders to have won the individual World Championship four or more ti ...

, Swede,

Andreas Jonsson Andreas Karl Rune Jonsson (born 3 September 1980 in Stockholm, Sweden) is a Swedish former international motorcycle speedway rider. He was a member of the Sweden speedway team that won the World Cup in 2003, 2004 and 2015. He earned 26 caps for ...

and

Piotr Protasiewicz Piotr Protasiewicz (born 25 January 1975 in Zielona Góra, Poland) is a Polish international speedway rider. He is a four times World team champion and earned 24 international caps for the Poland national speedway team. Career Protasiewicz ...

. During celebrations of the team's 2011 victory, a fan was accidentally run over and by an unmarked police vehicle and died, which led to overnight riots.

Patryk Dudek Patryk Dudek (; born 20 June 1992) is a Polish motorcycle speedway rider who is a member of the Poland national speedway team, Polish national speedway team. Career Dudek's father, Sławomir Dudek, Sławomir, was a professional rider and P ...

completed the Polish Championship and Golden Helmet double during the

2016 Polish speedway season The 2016 Polish Speedway season was the 2016 season of motorcycle speedway in Poland. Individual Polish Individual Speedway Championship The 2016 Individual Speedway Polish Championship final was held on 1 July at Leszno. Patryk Dudek won the ...

and the team picked up a bronze medal. In

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

the team were relegated from the Ekstraliga after a 14-year stay. In their first season in the 1. Liga Falubaz failed to gain promotion back to the top league after losing the promotion play-off final to

Wilki Krosno Wilki Krosno (''Wolves Krosno'') is a Polish motorcycle speedway team based in Krosno. The club operates under the name of ''Cellfast Wilki Krosno''. The team currently competes in the Ekstraliga (the highest division). History of speedway ...

. In the 2023 season, Falubaz went on to win the league title and get promoted to Ekstraliga after winning all of their 20 matches, becoming only the second club to achieve this feat on the second level after

Unia Leszno Unia Leszno are a motorcycle speedway team established on 8 May 1938 and based in Leszno, Poland. The team's home track is at the Stadion Alfreda Smoczyka. They compete in the Ekstraliga (speedway), Ekstraliga (the highest division) and are Pol ...

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

Teams

2024 Team

Przemysław Pawlicki Przemysław Pawlicki (born 5 September 1991)''Świat Żużla'', No 1 (77) 2009, pages 14-15 is a motorcycle speedway rider from Poland. Career Pawlicki passed his speedway license (''Licencja "Ż"'') in 2008, as a 16-year-old. On 20 July 20 ...

Jarosław Hampel Jarosław "Jarek" Hampel (; born 17 April 1982 in Łódź, Poland) is a motorcycle speedway rider from Poland. He is a six times World Cup winner and earned 24 caps for the Poland national speedway team. Career He received his speedway licen ...

* Rasmus Jensen *

Jan Kvěch Jan Kvěch (born 18 October 2001) is a Czech international speedway rider. He is a member of the Czech Republic national speedway team. Career Kvěch won the bronze medal at the Czech Republic Championship in 2019. He qualified for the 20 ...

* Piotr Pawlicki *

Michał Curzytek Michał () is a Polish and Sorbian form of Michael and may refer to: * Michał Bajor (born 1957), Polish actor and musician * Michał Chylinski (born 1986), Polish basketball player * Michał Drzymała (1857–1937), Polish rebel * Michał Hel ...

Krzysztof Sadurski Krzysztof () is a Polish male given name, equivalent to English ''Christopher''. The name became popular in the 15th century. Its diminutive forms include Krzyś, Krzysiek, and Krzysio; augmentative – Krzychu Individuals named Krzysztof may choo ...

* Oskar Hurysz * Kacper Rychliński * Mateusz Łopuski

Previous teams

2022 team *

Max Fricke Max Fricke (born 29 March 1996) is an Australian speedway rider. He is a World team champion, three time Australian champion and four times Australian Under-21 Champion. Career Fricke competed in junior levels of motocross and speedway in A ...

Rohan Tungate Rohan Tungate (born 27 January 1990) is an Australian speedway rider who has competed in the United Kingdom and Poland. He won the Australian Solo Championship in 2018. Career Born in Kurri Kurri, New South Wales, Tungate made his British speed ...

* Mateusz Tonder *

Krzysztof Buczkowski Krzysztof Buczkowski (born 30 April 1986 in Grudziądz, Poland) is a motorcycle speedway rider from Poland. He earned one international cap for the Poland speedway team. Career Buczkowski has ridden for the Polish national junior team. He st ...

* Antoni Mencel * Maksym Borowiak * Fabian Ragus 2023 team *

* Rasmus Jensen *

Luke Becker Luke Becker (born 11 February 1999) is a motorcycle speedway rider from the United States. Career Becker began his British career riding for Wolverhampton Wolves in 2019. Unable to ride during 2020 because of Covid-19 cancelled season, he conti ...

* Fabian Ragus * Dawid Rempała * Filip Frącewicz * Kacper Rychliński

Notable riders

Honours

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zkz Zielona Gora Speedway teams in Poland Sport in Zielona Góra 1946 establishments in Poland Sports clubs and teams established in 1946