Alfred Smoczyk Stadium

Last updated

Stadion im. Alfreda Smoczyka
Smok (Dragon)
Leszno Aerial photograph 2022 P01.jpg
Aerial photograph with the stadium in the middle
Alfred Smoczyk Stadium
Location Leszno, Poland
Coordinates 51°49′57″N16°35′8″E / 51.83250°N 16.58556°E / 51.83250; 16.58556
OwnerCity of Leszno
Operator Unia Leszno
Capacity 16,700
SurfaceShale (speedway)
Construction
Opened19 April 1953
Expanded11 September 1977
Tenants
Unia Leszno

Alfred Smoczyk Stadium (Polish : Stadion im. Alfreda Smoczyka) is a stadium in Leszno, Poland. It is currently used for speedway matches and is the home stadium of Unia Leszno. The stadium has a capacity of 16,700 people.

Contents

The stadium is located on ulica Strzelecka 7.

History

Alfred Smoczyk (1928–1950) was the first Polish speedway superstar. He successfully competed on Dutch tracks in the late 1940s, but died in a road accident in October 1950. [1] He was the first Individual Polish Champion after World War II (in 1949). The year after his death in 1951, the Alfred Smoczyk Memorial event was first held and shortly afterwards in April 1952, plans were put into action to build a new speedway stadium. [2]

The opening of the new stadium took place on 19 April 1953. In 1960, the stadium hosted a qualifying round of the Speedway World Championship. [3] [4]

In 1974/75 the track was replaced and the stands were expanded to increase the capacity to 40,000. In 1977, as part of the national harvest celebrations and the visit of Edward Gierek to Leszno, the stadium underwent a major renovation and modernisation, opening on 11 September 1977.

In 1984, the stadium held the first of four World Cup finals, the first being the 1984 edition followed by 2007, 2009 and 2017. [5] In-between, it also hosted the final of the 1989 Speedway World Pairs Championship. [6] [7]

The stadium has hosted the Speedway Grand Prix of Europe (a round of the world championship) for five consecutive years from 2008 to 2012. [8]

Track details

the speedway track in 2008 Stadion im A.Smoczyka.jpg
the speedway track in 2008

The track is 330 metres (360 yards) long and has a syenite surface. The track record was made by Janusz Kołodziej (58.12 sec on 9 May 2010).

Records

383 m (1953–1975)
TimeDateRiderClubMeeting
80.019.04.1953 Flag of Poland.svg Stanisław Glapiak Lesznofriendly: Leszno - Ostrów Wlkp.
77.705.07.1953 Flag of Poland.svg Marian Kuśnierek Leszno1st League: Leszno - Łódź
77.116.08.1953 Flag of Poland.svg Edward Kupczyński Wrocław1st League: Leszno - Wrocław
76.716.08.1953 Flag of Poland.svg Józef Olejniczak Leszno1st League: Leszno - Wrocław
76.416.08.1953 Flag of Poland.svg Józef Olejniczak Leszno1st League: Leszno - Wrocław
76.013.09.1953 Flag of Poland.svg Florian Kapała RawiczIII Alfred Smoczyk Memorial
76.013.06.1954 Flag of Poland.svg Andrzej Krzesiński Leszno1st League: Leszno - Wrocław
75.321.08.1955 Flag of Poland.svg Edward Kupczyński WrocławV Alfred Smoczyk Memorial
??.?11.04.1960 Flag of Poland.svg Kazimierz Bentke Leszno1st League: Leszno - Częstochowa
74.8before 22.05.1960 Flag of Sweden.svg Ove Fundin -?
74.016.10.1960 Flag of England.svg Peter Craven -Poland - England
73.921.05.1961 Flag of Poland.svg Henryk Żyto Leszno1st League: Leszno - Częstochowa
73.814.04.1963 Flag of Poland.svg Henryk Żyto LesznoPolish Motor Union Cup
73.208.10.1967 Flag of Poland.svg Henryk Gluecklich BydgoszczPoland - Soviet Union
73.124.10.1971 Flag of Poland.svg Zdzisław Dobrucki LesznoXXI Aldred Smoczyk Memorial
354 m (1975–1979)
TimeDateRiderClubMeeting
76.423.03.1975 Flag of Poland.svg Kazimierz Adamczak Lesznofriendly: Leszno - Guestrow
76.013.04.1975 Flag of Poland.svg Jerzy Kowalski LesznoIndividual Meeting
76.020.04.1975 Flag of Poland.svg Piotr Bruzda Wrocław1st League: Leszno - Wrocław
75.420.04.1975 Flag of Poland.svg Zygfryd Kostka Wrocław1st League: Leszno - Wrocław
75.420.04.1975 Flag of Poland.svg Zbigniew Jąder Leszno1st League: Leszno - Wrocław
74.501.05.1975 Flag of Poland.svg Henryk Gluecklich Bydgoszcz1st League: Leszno - Bydgoszcz
74.501.05.1975 Flag of Poland.svg Jerzy Kowalski Leszno1st League: Leszno - Bydgoszcz
73.405.06.1975 Flag of Poland.svg Bogusław Nowak Gorzów Wlkp. Golden Helmet
73.028.06.1975 Flag of Poland.svg Zdzisław Dobrucki LesznoPairs Meeting
71.629.08.1976 Flag of Poland.svg Bernard Jąder LesznoAlfred Smoczyk Memorial
71.426.06.1977 Flag of Poland.svg Roman Jankowski Leszno U-23 Polish Motor Union Cup
71.403.07.1977 Flag of Poland.svg Bernard Jąder Leszno1st League: Leszno - Opole
71.324.07.1977 Flag of Poland.svg Zdzisław Dobrucki Leszno1st League: Leszno - Lublin
70.631.07.1977 Flag of Poland.svg Józef Jarmuła Częstochowa1st League: Leszno - Częstochowa
70.028.08.1977 Flag of Poland.svg Zenon Plech Gdańsk1st League: Leszno - Gdańsk
70.021.05.1978 Flag of Poland.svg Bernard Jąder Leszno1st League: Leszno - Rybnik
70.021.05.1978 Flag of Poland.svg Mariusz Okoniewski Leszno1st League: Leszno - Rybnik
69.204.06.1978 Flag of England.svg Malcolm Simmons -International Individual Meeting
69.004.06.1978 Flag of Poland.svg Bernard Jąder LesznoInternational Individual Meeting
68.028.06.1978 Flag of Poland.svg Bernard Jąder LesznoIndividual Meeting
347 m (1979–1987)
TimeDateRiderClubMeeting
70.112.04.1979 Flag of Poland.svg Eugeniusz Miastkowski Toruń Individual Polish Championship Quarter-Final
68.622.04.1979 Flag of Poland.svg Piotr Pyszny Rybnik1st League: Leszno - Rybnik
68.129.04.1979 Flag of Poland.svg Mariusz Okoniewski Leszno1st League: Leszno - Wrocław
68.129.04.1979 Flag of Poland.svg Mariusz Okoniewski Leszno1st League: Leszno - Wrocław
67.419.08.1979 Flag of Poland.svg Ryszard Buśkiewicz Leszno1st League: Leszno - Gdańsk
67.422.07.1980 Flag of Poland.svg Bogusław Nowak Gorzów Individual Polish Championship Final
66.222.07.1980 Flag of Poland.svg Edward Jancarz Gorzów Individual Polish Championship Final
65.014.06.1981 Flag of Poland.svg Edward Jancarz Gorzów Individual World Championship Continental Semi-Final
342 m (since 1987)
TimeDateRiderClubMeeting
65.808.04.1987 Flag of Poland.svg Zenon Kasprzak LesznoPoland - Sweden
65.814.04.1987 Flag of Poland.svg Zenon Kasprzak Leszno1st League: Leszno - Gorzów Wlkp.
63.5113.06.1987 Flag of Hungary.svg Zoltan Adorjan -Individual World Championship Continental Semi-Final
63.3506.08.1988 Flag of Poland.svg Zenon Kasprzak LesznoIndividual World Championship Continental Final
63.025.09.1988 Flag of Poland.svg Zenon Kasprzak LesznoIndividual Polish Championship Final
62.605.08.1989 Flag of Denmark.svg Erik Gundersen -World Pairs Championship Final
62.61993 Flag of Poland.svg Roman Jankowski Leszno FSO Individual Meeting
62.621.05.1994 Flag of Poland.svg Roman Jankowski Leszno2nd League: Leszno - Lublin
62.421.05.1994 Flag of Poland.svg Roman Jankowski Leszno2nd League: Leszno - Lublin
62.215.07.1995 Flag of Poland.svg Tomasz Gollob BydgoszczXLV Alfred Smoczyk Memorial
61.616.06.1996 Flag of Poland.svg Roman Jankowski Leszno2nd League: Leszno - Łódź
60.516.06.1996 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Leigh Adams Leszno2nd League: Leszno - Łódź
60.228.05.2000 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Leigh Adams Leszno Ekstraliga: Leszno - Gdańsk
60.221.04.2002 Flag of Poland.svg Rafał Okoniewski LesznoEkstraliga: Leszno - Wrocław
60.021.04.2002 Flag of Poland.svg Krzysztof Kasprzak LesznoEkstraliga: Leszno - Wrocław
59.003.05.2002 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Leigh Adams LesznoEkstraliga: Leszno - Częstochowa
58.403.05.2007 Flag of Poland.svg Krzysztof Kasprzak LesznoEkstraliga: Leszno - Zielona Góra
58.109.05.2010 Flag of Poland.svg Janusz Kołodziej Leszno?

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Alfred Smoczyk". Motorsport Memorial. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  2. ↑ "Stadion Alfreda Smoczyka – stadium description". Stadium Database. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  3. ↑ "1960 World Championship". Metal Speedway. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  4. ↑ "1960 World Championship". Speedway.org. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  5. ↑ "World Team Cup & World Cup". International Speedway. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  6. ↑ Oakes, Peter (1978). 1978 Speedway Yearbook. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. ISBN   978-0904584509.
  7. ↑ "History Speedway and Longtrack". Speedway.org. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  8. ↑ "HISTORYCZNE ZESTAWIENIE WYNIKÓW 1995-2016". Historia Sportu Zuzlowego. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
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