Krzysztof Kasprzak ([ˈkʐɨʂtɔf ˈkaspʐak] ; born 18 July 1984 in Leszno, Poland)[2] is a Polish international motorcycle speedway rider,[3] who became World Under-21 Champion in 2005 and won the silver medal during the 2014 Speedway Grand Prix. He also won five World team titles and He earned 13 international caps for the Poland national speedway team.[4]
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Career
editKasprzak became the European Champion in 2003 after winning the 2003 Individual Speedway European Championship. He also made his British speedway debut after joining Poole Pirates and won the Polish pairs championship.[5] The following year in 2004, he broke into the Poland team, representing them in the 2004 Speedway World Cup and finished runenr-up in the Polish U21 championships.[5]
In 2005, he won European Pairs Championship and Under-21 World Cup for Poland. He also won the 2005 Speedway Under-21 World Championship after the meeting was stopped early after just 12 heats due to heavy rain and dangerous track conditions.[6][7] Kasprzak and Tomáš Suchánek both finished on 8 points after three rides and Kasprzak was declared the winner after coin flipping.[8]
He had been a wild card rider in four Speedway Grand Prix, in 2004 and 2007 at Bydgoszcz and in 2005 and 2006 at Wrocław and then became a permanent rider for the 2008 series after being awarded a wild card place. His second place in the 2007 Polish Grand Prix was one of the reasons he was given the chance.
In 2007, he rode for Lakeside Hammers during the 2007 Elite League speedway season[9] but the season highlight was winning his first major team honour as Poland won the 2007 Speedway World Cup. He top scored during the event with 14 points.[10]
After joining Belle Vue Aces for the 2009 Elite League speedway season he top scored for the Manchester club and then won his second world team title, when Poland won the 2009 Speedway World Cup. The following season he was instrumental in helping Coventry Bees win the Elite League title during the 2010 Elite League speedway season. In 2011, he won his third world team title after winning the 2011 Speedway World Cup. He also joined Birmingham Brummies for the 2011 season.[11]
In September 2012, during the Speedway Grand Prix Qualification he won the GP Challenge, which ensured that he claimed a permanent slot for the 2013 Grand Prix.[12]
During the 2012 Elite League speedway season he helped Poole Pirates win the Knockout Cup and Elite Shield.[13] In 2013, he returned to Coventry Bees for the 2013 season before leaving British Speedway for two years, while he competed in the 2014 and 2015 Grand Prix series. He won a fourth world team title in 2013 and then in 2014, he achieved his greatest success when finishing runner-up to Greg Hancock in the World Championship. The 2014 feat included three grand prix wins (European, Latvian and, Polish).
In 2016, he returned to the Bees team for the third time, for the 2016 Elite League campaign and finished with a respectable 7.91 average.[14] During 2016 he won his fifth world team title after winning the 2016 Speedway World Cup. In 2017, he was released by Poole after poor form and joined the Rye House Rockets for the SGB Premiership 2017 and SGB Premiership 2018 seasons.[15]
In 2023, he returned to British speedway after signing for King's Lynn Stars for the SGB Premiership 2023[16] but poor form saw him replaced by Artem Laguta.[17]
Family
editHe is a son of former Polish national speedway team member Zenon Kasprzak. Brother Robert is also a speedway rider.
Major results
editWorld individual Championship
edit- 2004 Speedway Grand Prix - 34th
- 2005 Speedway Grand Prix - 22nd
- 2006 Speedway Grand Prix - 20th
- 2007 Speedway Grand Prix - 17th
- 2008 Speedway Grand Prix - 14th
- 2012 Speedway Grand Prix - 18th
- 2013 Speedway Grand Prix - 10th
- 2014 Speedway Grand Prix - 2nd including (European, Latvian and, Polish) grand prix wins
- 2015 Speedway Grand Prix - 15th
- 2016 Speedway Grand Prix - 20th
- 2017 Speedway Grand Prix - 24th
- 2018 Speedway Grand Prix - 19th
- 2021 Speedway Grand Prix - 16th
World team Championships
edit- 2004 Speedway World Cup - 4th
- 2006 Speedway World Cup - 5th
- 2007 Speedway World Cup - Winner
- 2009 Speedway World Cup - Winner
- 2011 Speedway World Cup - Winner
- 2013 Speedway World Cup - Winner
- 2014 Speedway World Cup - 2nd
- 2016 Speedway World Cup - Winner
Speedway Grand Prix results
edit| Race no. | Grand Prix | Pos. | Pts. | Heats | Draw No |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 /9 |  Polish SGP
|
20 | 3 | (3,1,0) | 24 |
| Race no. | Grand Prix | Pos. | Pts. | Heats | Draw No |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 /9 |  European SGP
|
15 | 4 | (0,1,1,0,2) | 7 |
| 8 /9 | Polish SGP
|
17 | ns | ns | 17 |
| Race no. | Grand Prix | Pos. | Pts. | Heats | Draw No |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 /10 | European SGP
|
11 | 6 | (2,2,0,1,1) | 13 |
| Race no. | Grand Prix | Pos. | Pts. | Heats | Draw No |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 /11 | Polish SGP
|
2 | 17 | (3,0,3,3,2) +2 +2 | 13 |
| permanent speedway rider | |
| wild card, track reserve or qualified reserve | |
| rider not classified (track reserve who did not start) |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "British Speedway Official Website".
- ^ Oakes, P.(2006). Speedway Star Almanac. ISBN 0-9552376-1-0
- ^ "Krzysztof Kasprzak Polska". Polish Speedway Database. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
- ^ "Ultimate Rider Index, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Passion for speedway". Leszno - Rozwiń Skrzydła. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
- ^ "Speedway Junioren Weltmeisterschaft (U-21)". Speedway Yesterday. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ "World U21 winners". Speedweek. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ "A Year in Summary". Speedway Plus. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ "2008 Rider index" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
- ^ "2007 WORLD TEAM CUP". International Speedway. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
- ^ "Krzysztof Kasprzak signs to ride for Birmingham". Coventry Telegraph. 23 December 2010. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
- ^ "HISTORICAL LIST OF RESULTS 1995-2013 Speedway Grand Prix - Qualifications". Speedway History. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
- ^ "WWOS backup". Krzysztof Kasprzak. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
- ^ "NGK sponsors the Coventry Bees Speedway Team". Garage Wire. 30 March 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
- ^ "Sorry Pirates are hit by Rockets". Daily Echo. 11 August 2017. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
- ^ "KK back as Stars complete". British Speedway. 13 December 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
- ^ "LAGUTA SET FOR STARS". British Speedway. 30 May 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2023.