Poland: Woryna throws away the title – Maciej Janowski triumphs in the showdown

The third and decisive race of the Polish Speedway Championship in Ostrowo got off to a lively start. In the second heat, world champion Bartosz Zmarzlik – who had gone into the race six points behind Kacper Woryna – faced off against Patryk Dudek, who was himself four points behind: Dudek had taken the lead as the field entered the final bend when Zmarzlik attacked him on the inside, causing Dudek to crash. Zmarzlik was disqualified and the race was over prematurely for Dudek, leaving Woryna and Maciej Janowski as the title contenders and seemingly ruling Zmarzlik out of the title race.

Whilst Janowski scored three points in his first heat, Woryna got off to the worst possible start: in his first heat, the championship leader dropped from first to last place, and in his second heat he also found himself in last place after the first bend, but managed to fight his way back up to second. With his second victory, Janowski drew level with Woryna in the overall standings.

In the third heat, Woryna and Janowski went head-to-head, and Woryna managed to build up a small lead once again in this race. The Landshut GP winner held second place behind Zmarzlik, and as Janowski failed to score any points in this particular heat, Woryna regained a two-point lead over him. The problem for Woryna was that, in the fourth heat too, he again scored just two points behind the sensational reserve rider Jakub Krawczyk; whilst this meant he remained ahead of Janowski in the overall standings, he was in danger of even missing out on the Last Chance Heat. Woryna’s fears were realised, as the 29-year-old scored just one point in the 18th heat and his race was over with a total of only seven points.

Showdown between Janowski and Zmarzlik

With twelve points each, Janowski and Zmarzlik secured direct qualification for the final, whilst in the Last-Chance Heat, the in-form Maksymilian Pawelczak prevailed over Jakub Krawczyk. Krawczyk got the better of Dominik Kubera in a photo finish at the line and, with three race wins and a total of ten points from four races, posted an impressive haul.

In the final, Zmarzlik managed to take the lead right from the start, whilst Janowski had to battle it out with Pawelczak and Krawczyk for second place, which was enough to secure him the title. Janowski needed all his experience in the duel against the youngsters to secure second place and win the Polish title for the fourth time – following victories in 2015, 2020 and 2024 – with one point more to his name than world champion Zmarzlik, who won the race but, following his debacle at Bromberg (Bydgoszcz), had to settle for silver in the final standings.

Results: Polish Speedway Championship, Ostrowo/PL:

Final standings after 3 races: