Polonia Bydgoszcz

ŻKS Polonia Bydgoszcz
Club information
Track address ul. Sportowa 2
Bydgoszcz
Country Poland
Founded 1920
Team manager Zenon Plech
Team captain Andreas Jonsson
League 2nd League
Website Official website
Club facts
Colours White and Red
Track size 348 metres (381 yd)
Track record time 60.11
Track record date 20 June 1999
Track record holder Tomasz Gollob
Major team honours
European Club Champions1998, 1999, 2001
Polish League Champions1955, 1971, 1992, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002
Pair Polish Champion1974, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002
Individual Polish Champion1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002

Polonia Bydgoszcz is a Polish sports club based in Bydgoszcz most known for its speedway team ŻKS Polonia Bydgoszcz which currently race in the Speedway Ekstraliga (the top division). The club has won the Polish Speedway League Championship seven times, the latest in 2002, and European Team Championship three times, the latest in 2001. The club also has a football team who play in the lower leagues but in the past had more success.

History

BKS Polonia Bydgoszcz was founded on May 14, 1920, by Edmund Szyc, a sports enthusiast and official of Warta Poznan. Szyc, who had come to Bydgoszcz from Poznan in the early spring of 1920, wanted to create a sports organization with a patriotic spirit, based on Polish Army soldiers garrisoned in the city. The hues of Polonia were white-red-green (to commemorate Polish flag, plus green, the traditional colour of Warta Poznan’s jerseys).

In the Second Polish Republic, Polonia Bydgoszcz was one of the largest sports organizations in the nation. It had several departments, such as football, track and field, boxing, ice hockey, cycling, basketball, handball and volleyball. Among most notable athletes of that time were: Stanislaw Zakrzewski (high jumper), Klemens Biniakowski (runner, who participated in the 1928 Summer Olympics), Feliks Wiecek (cyclist, winner of the 1928 Tour de Pologne). Polonia’s football team were four times champions of Polish Pomerania, but failed to win promotion to the Ekstraklasa.

After World War Two, Polonia was reactivated on October 21, 1945. In 1947, its football team once again won local championships. On May 22, 1946, the speedway department was formed, but in 1949, the so-called First Polonia was dissolved by the Communist authorities, who disliked its prewar, bourgeoisie roots.

In 1949-57, Polonia Bydgoszcz did not exist. On May 24, 1957, BKS Polonia and ZS Gwardia (sports organization supported by Milicja Obywatelska) merged into Milicyjny KS Polonia. The new club took over the traditions of the 1920 organization and quickly emerged as one of the most important sports clubs of the country. Former Gwardia Bydgoszcz was a powerful organization, with a top class football team (promoted to Ekstraklasa in 1953), while its speedway team was the 1955 Champion of Poland. Furthermore, several Gwardia’s track and fielders took part in the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki. In the early 1950s, Gwardia had as many as 17 departments. Its most famous sports personality of that time was tennis player Jadwiga Jedrzejowska.

The newly established Militia Sports Club Polonia Bydgoszcz took over Gwardia’s hues (red - white - blue), to commemorate the colors of the French Revolution, and to symbolize the new, Communist regime of Poland. In 1962, the name of the club was changed into Bydgoszcz Sports Club (BKS) Polonia, to be changed into Guards Sports Club (GKS) Polonia in 1974. Finally, in 1990, the name Bydgoszcz Sports Club Polonia was returned.

In the late 1980s, GKS Polonia had over 1500 members, including 700 athletes. In 1990, the police authority (former Milicja Obywatelska) withdrew its financial support of the club. As a result, the club was supported by the city government. In 1992, the football team was closed to return in 1994, and ice hockey department was separated from the organization. In the same year, the speedway team of Polonia won Polish Championship.

By the late 1990s, Polonia returned to its former glory. Speedway team, with Tomasz Gollob, was three times Polish champion (1998, 2000, 2002), table tennis team was among the best in the country, and football team won promotion to the third level.

In 2003, local authorities dissolved Polonia Bydgoszcz. The departments of the former organization created their own teams, such as Zuzlowy Klub Sportowy (Speedway Sports Club) Polonia, and the traditions of BKS Polonia are continued by the football team, called Klub Pilkarski (Football Club) Polonia.

Timeline of Polonia's Speedway Department

Management

Polonia Bydgoszcz since 27 October 2006 is Joint stock company (pl: spółka akcyjna or S.A.).

2012 Team

  • Juniors:
  • Poland Szymon Woźniak - 19 - 1.288 (I league)
  • Poland Mikołaj Curyło - 20 - 1.276 (I league)
  • Poland Karol Jóźwik - 18 - 0.500 (I league)
  • Coach: Poland Robert Sawina

2008 Team

2007 Team

Łopaczewski and Mazur was started only in PC Junior Team and PC Junior Pair

Pos Name Match Heats 1st 2nd 3rd 4th E F X T Pts Bon Total Joker CMA Home Away
13 Sweden Andreas Jonsson 11 58 18 23 11 4 1 1 115 6 121 8 2.017 11.00 8.07 2.065 1.963
26 Sweden Jonas Davidsson 9 41 11 9 11 8 1 1 62 7 69 1.683 7.67 6.73 1.400 1.952
29 Poland Rafał Okoniewski 15 78 17 22 21 12 4 2 116 12 128 1.641 8.53 6.56 1.973 1.341
33 Poland Krystian Klecha 12 45 8 10 15 9 2 1 59 9 68 1.511 5.67 6.04 1.667 1.278
36 Russia Emil Saifutdinov 9 41 6 10 13 9 3 51 9 60 1.463 6.67 5.85 1.833 1.174
37 Poland Krzysztof Buczkowski 13 56 12 13 13 14 2 2 77 6 83 4 1.446 6.38 5.79 1.586 1.296
38 Poland Michał Szczepaniak 15 70 7 24 14 23 1 1 83 15 98 1.400 6.53 5.60 1.632 1.125
41 Poland Mariusz Staszewski 11 42 6 6 20 9 1 50 7 57 1.357 5.18 5.43 1.632 1.130
42 Poland Marcin Jędrzejewski 13 49 5 1 18 13 1 1 55 11 66 1.347 5.08 5.39 1.762 1.036

Competitions in Bydgoszcz

Tomasz Gollob won Criterium of Aces 14 times.
2007 Podium: Jaguś (2nd), Ferjan (1st), Mi. Szczepaniak (3rd).

Speedway Grand Prix

Polonia Bydgoszcz hosts the Speedway Grand Prix of Poland in the Polonia Bydgoszcz Stadium (1998–99, since 2001). In 2000 Polonia hosts Speedway Grand Prix of Europe. Tomasz Gollob won in Bydgoszcz SGP 6 times.

Pomeranian-Kuyavian Derby

The Pomeranian-Kuyavian Derby is the name given to speedway matches between Polonia Bydgoszcz and Unibax Toruń.

Criterium of Aces

The Mieczysław Połukard Criterium of Polish Speedway League Aces (Polish: Kryterium Asów Polskich Lig Żużlowych im. Mieczysława Połukarda) usually referred to as the Criterium of Aces (Kryterium Asów) is an annual speedway event held each year organized by the Polonia Bydgoszcz.

The Criterium of Aces held in the Polonia Stadium in Bydgoszcz. It is seen by riders and fans as the official opening of the new season. First staged in 1982, although a similar meeting was held in the 1951 as Criterium of Aces (Criterium Asów). The most successful rider in Criterium history is Tomasz Gollob (former Polonia's rider). He won Criterium 14 times between 1990 and 2008.

Honours

Competitions Total Golden medals Silver medals Bronze medals
Total Years Total Years Total Years
Team (DMP)
(since 1948)		 25 7 1955, 1971, 1992, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002 7 1951, 1953, 1972, 1986, 1987, 1993, 2005 11 1956, 1957, 1960, 1961, 1964, 1988, 1990, 1995, 2001, 2003, 2006
Team U-21 (MDMP)
(since 1978)		 7 1 1976, 1989 3 1986, 1988, 1992 3 1977, 1978, 1987, 2002
Pairs (MPPK)
(since 1974)		 18 11 1974, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002 6 1979, 1992, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006 1 2010
Pairs U-21 (MMPPK)
(1980 U-23; since 1983)		 7 1 1980 4 1985, 1986, 1987, 2006 2 1988, 2001
Individual (IMP)
(since 1948)		 18 8 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002 5 1953, 1985, 1998, 1999, 2003 5 1951, 1955, 1972, 1990, 1997
Individual U-21 (MIMP)
(since 1967)		 12 8 1970, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1986, 1990, 1991, 1992 1 1987 3 1969, 1976, 1988
Total Polish Championship medals: 87 Gold: 36 Silver: 26 Bronze: 25
Competitions Total I place II place III place
Total Years Total Years Total Years
European Club (KPE)
(since 1998)		 3 3 1998, 1999, 2001
Team Cup (DPP)
(?)		 0
Golden Helmet (ZK)
(since 1961)		 16 10 1981, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002 4 1967, 1972, 1996, 2002 2 2002, 2005
Silver Helmet U-21 (SK)
(since 1966)		 13 6 1984, 1986, 1987, 1999, 1992, 2007 2 1968, 1988 5 1966, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988
Bronze Helmet U-19 (BK)
(1976-81; since 1983)		 10 2 1984, 2002 4 1985, 1988, 1995, 1996, 2000 4 1991, 1999, 2005, 2006

Stadium

Polonia Stadium.

The stadium is located on ulica Sportowa 2 (Sports Street). It contains 20,000 seats. The track is 348 metres long and has a granite surface. The track record was made by Tomasz Gollob (60.11 sec on June 20, 1999).

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ (pl) SportoweFakty.pl
  2. ↑ (pl) www.SportoweFakty.pl
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