Tomasz Robert Gollob (Polish pronunciation: [ˈtɔmaʐ ˈɡɔlːɔp] ; born 11 April 1971 in Bydgoszcz, Poland)[1] is a former Polish motorcycle speedway rider.[2] He appeared in every Speedway Grand Prix series between its inaugural season in 1995 and 2013. He earned 52 caps for the Poland national speedway team.[3]
Born | Bydgoszcz, Poland | 11 April 1971
---|---|
Nationality | Polish |
Website | www.gollobracing.com |
Career history | |
Poland | |
1988, 1990-2003 | Polonia Bydgoszcz |
1989 | Wybrzeże Gdańsk |
2004-2007 | Unia Tarnów |
2008-2012 | Stal Gorzów |
2013-2014 | KS Toruń |
2015-2016 | GKM Grudziądz |
Great Britain | |
1998-2000 | Ipswich Witches |
Sweden | |
1997 | Valsarna |
2001-2010 | Västervik |
2011-2013 | Hammarby |
Denmark | |
2009 | Esbjerg |
Speedway Grand Prix statistics | |
Starts | 163 |
Podiums | 53 (22-10-21) |
Finalist | 66 times |
Winner | 22 times |
Individual honours | |
2010 | World Champion |
2005-2012 | Speedway Grand Prix winner (22 times) |
1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 2001, 2002, 2006, 2009 | Polish Champion |
1990, 1991, 1992 | Polish Under 21 Champion |
1996 | Continental Champion |
1994, 1995, 1997, 2000 2002 | Polish Golden Helmet Winner |
1990, 2002 | Polish Silver Helmet Winner |
1995 | Jack Young Memorial Cup winner |
Team honours | |
1996 | World Team Cup Winner |
2005, 2007, 2009, 2010 | World Cup Winner |
2001 | European Cup Champions' Winner |
1992, 1997, 1998, 2000 2002, 2004, 2005 | Polish Team Champion |
1990, 1991, 1993, 1994 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999 2000, 2002 | Polish Pairs Champion |
1998 | Elite League Champion |
1998 | Elite League KO Cup Winner |
1998 | Craven Shield Winner |
2005, 2006 | Swedish Elitserien Champion |
Career summary
editTomasz Gollob spent almost all of his career with hometown club Bydgoszcz until he moved to Unia Tarnów in 2004. He has won the Polish Individual Championship eight times (between 1992 and 2009) and the Polish Pairs Championship ten times. He has also won the Polish Grand Prix eight times in thirteen years. He clinched the Speedway World Championship in 2010 after securing the championship in Terenzano, Italy. He is only the second Pole to ever win the World Championship, following in the footsteps of Jerzy Szczakiel who won in 1973.
Gollob also spent some time in Australia in the early-mid 1990s based at the North Arm Speedway in Adelaide. While In Australia, Gollob would race against many of his future World Championship rivals including Jason Crump, Leigh Adams, and Ryan Sullivan. Gollob is the only World Champion to win the Jack Young Solo Cup held in Adelaide each year in memory of Australia's 1951 and 1952 World Champion, Jack Young. He won the cup in 1995 at North Arm.
On 28 July 1996 he won the Continental Final, which formed part of the 1997 Speedway Grand Prix Qualification.[4]
Gollob was also a member of the Poland speedway team that won the World Team Cup in 1996 and the World Cup in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011.
In 2007, Gollob survived a plane crash with fellow rider Rune Holta. The plane, flown by his father Władysław, crashed on the way to a speedway meeting at Tarnów. Gollob escaped with cuts and bruises after pulling his father from the wreckage.[5]
On retirement, Gollob had achieved 22 Grand Prix wins from 1995 until 2012.
In 2017, Gollob suffered serious injuries to head and spine in a motocross accident during a MX event in Northern Poland.[6]
For his sport achievements, he received the Order of Polonia Restituta:
Family
editHis brother Jacek was also a speedway rider.
World final appearances
editIndividual World Championship
edit- 1993 - Pocking, Rottalstadion - 7th - 8pts
- 1994 - Vojens, Speedway Center - 16th - 0pts[7]
World Pairs Championship
edit- 1993 - Vojens, Speedway Center (with Piotr Świst / Piotr Baron) - 5th - 15pts (15)
World Team Cup
edit- 1994 - Brokstedt, Holsteinring Brokstedt - 2nd - 20pts (16)
- 1995 - Bydgoszcz, Polonia Bydgoszcz Stadium - 6th - 13pts (12)
- 1996 - Diedenbergen, Speedway Arena Diedenbergen - Winner - 27pts (15)
- 1997 - Piła, Stadion Żużlowy Centrum - 2nd - 25pts (13)
- 1998 - Vojens, Speedway Center - 4th - 17pts (15)
World Cup
edit- 2001 - Wrocław, Olympic Stadium - 2nd - 65pts (27)
- 2002 - Peterborough, East of England Showground - 4th - 48pts (17)
- 2003 - Vojens, Speedway Center - 4th - 49pts (20)
- 2004 - Poole, Poole Stadium - 4th - 22pts (1)
- 2005 - Wrocław, Olympic Stadium - Winner - 62pts
- 2007 - Leszno, Alfred Smoczyk Stadium - Winner - 55pts
- 2008 - Vojens, Speedway Center - 2nd - 46pts
- 2009 - Leszno, Alfred Smoczyk Stadium - Winner - 44pts
- 2010 - Vojens, Speedway Center - Winner - 46pts
Individual Under-21 World Championship
edit- 1992 - Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm, Speedway Stadion Pfaffenhofen - 5th - 10pts
Speedway Grand Prix results
editYear | Position | Points | Best Finish | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1995 | 9th | 73 | Winner | Won Polish Grand Prix |
1996 | 12th | 43 | 3rd | |
1997 | 3rd | 92 | Winner | Won Swedish Grand Prix |
1998 | 3rd | 97 | Winner | Won Polish Grand Prix |
1999 | 2nd | 98 | Winner | Won Czech Republic Grand Prix and Polish Grand Prix |
2000 | 7th | 64 | 5th | |
2001 | 3rd | 89 | Winner | Won German Grand Prix |
2002 | 7th | 117 | Winner | Won Polish Grand Prix |
2003 | 6th | 111 | Winner | Won Polish Grand Prix |
2004 | 6th | 113 | Winner | Won Polish Grand Prix |
2005 | 7th | 83 | Winner | Won Polish Grand Prix |
2006 | 8th | 94 | 3rd | |
2007 | 4th | 108 | Winner | Won Polish Grand Prix |
2008 | 3rd | 148 | Winner | Won Slovenian, Danish and German Grand Prix |
2009 | 2nd | 144 | Winner | Won Scandinavian and Italian Grand Prix |
2010 | 1st | 166 | Winner | Won Czech Republic, Polish, Nordic and Italian Grand Prix |
2011 | 5th | 106 | Winner | Won Danish Grand Prix |
2012 | 4th | 142 | Winner | Won Scandinavian Grand Prix |
2013 | 9th | 89 | 2nd |
Family
editTomasz Gollob has two brothers and one sister[8]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Oakes, P.(2006). Speedway Star Almanac. ISBN 0-9552376-1-0
- ^ Montague, Trevor (2004). The A-Z of Sport. Little, Brown. p. 519. ISBN 0-316-72645-1.
- ^ "Ultimate rider index, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
- ^ "Individual Championship". Speedway.org. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
- ^ "Gollob survives plane crash drama". Evening Star. 11 June 2007. Retrieved 24 October 2007.
- ^ "Doctors 'very cautious' about Tomasz Gollob, former world champion in induced coma after crash". 24 April 2017.
- ^ Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). A History of the World Speedway Championship. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-2402-5
- ^ "GollobRacing.com - Oficjalny serwis Tomasza Golloba".
External links
editMedia related to Tomasz Gollob at Wikimedia Commons