Polish League Final: Rain-soaked battle in Landshut – chances of victory remain intact

The first final race in this year’s Krajowa Liga Zuzlowa, the third-tier Polish league, got off to a flying start: due to the weather forecast, the race organisers decided to hold just one practice session and to skip the riders’ presentation. As a result, the race at the Ellermühle against Gdańsk began in front of 2,500 spectators even before the official start time.

After the first four heats, the score was 11–13 in favour of Gdańsk. By this point, light rain had already set in, so the scheduled track maintenance was cancelled. The Devils didn’t let up and managed to keep their opponents’ lead within reasonable limits.

In Heat 9, Kim Nilson and Leon Flint secured a 5:1 victory after Pieszczek, who had been in the lead, experienced technical problems and fell back. This levelled the score at 27–27. As the rain grew heavier, bringing with it adverse track conditions, the Devils ultimately coped slightly better than the visitors.

In the twelfth heat, Tim Sörensen was excluded before the start due to a technical fault, which the Devils capitalised on to secure another 5–1. At this stage, the race could have been declared over, but the organisers continued to do everything in their power to complete the full 15 heats. After heat 13, however, the rain became so heavy that racing was no longer possible, and the race was abandoned with the score at 39:39.

“It’s a shame we had such bad luck with the weather. We can be satisfied with the result, though, as it means we still have every chance of overall victory,” said sporting director Klaus Zwerschina. “We can also hold our own against this team, which has dominated the league to some extent this season. Of course, they now have a slight advantage thanks to their home race, but on the other hand, they’re also under more pressure than we are.”

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