Unia Leszno

{{Short description|Polish motorcycle speedway team}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}} {{Use British English|date=December 2023}} {{Infobox motorcycle speedway team |clubname = Unia Leszno |image = [[File:Unia Leszno logo.png|centre|180px]] |track = [[Stadion Alfreda Smoczyka]]<br>[[Leszno]] |country = Poland |founded = 8 May 1938 |closed = |manager = [[Rafał Okoniewski]] |captain = |league = [[Speedway Ekstraliga|Ekstraliga]] |website = [http://www.unia.leszno.pl Official Website] |colours = White and Blue |nickname = Byki (Bulls) |tracksize = {{convert|346|m|yd}} |track record time= 60.27 seconds |track record date= 22 May 2022 |track record holder= [[Janusz Kołodziej (speedway rider)|Janusz Kołodziej]] |honour1 = [[Team Speedway Polish Championship|Team Polish Champions]] x 18 |year1 = [[1949 Polish speedway season|1949]], [[1950 Polish speedway season|1950]], [[1951 Polish speedway season|1951]], [[1952 Polish speedway season|1952]], [[1953 Polish speedway season|1953]], [[1954 Polish speedway season|1954]], [[1979 Polish speedway season|1979]], [[1980 Polish speedway season|1980]], [[1987 Polish speedway season|1987]], [[1988 Polish speedway season|1988]], [[1989 Polish speedway season|1989]], [[2007 Polish speedway season|2007]], [[2010 Polish speedway season|2010]], [[2015 Polish speedway season|2015]], [[2017 Polish speedway season|2017]], [[2018 Polish speedway season|2018]], [[2019 Polish speedway season|2019]], [[2020 Polish speedway season|2020]] |honour2 = [[Polish Pairs Speedway Championship|Pair Polish Champion]] |year2 = 10 times (most recent 2020) |honour3 = [[Individual Speedway Polish Championship|Individual Polish Champion]] |year3 = 13 times (most recent 2019) }}

'''Unia Leszno''' are a [[motorcycle speedway]] team established on 8 May 1938<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.leszno.pl/293_fr.html |title=Passion for speedway |website=Leszno - Rozwiń Skrzydła |access-date=12 September 2024 }}</ref> and based in [[Leszno]], Poland. The team's home track is at the [[Stadion Alfreda Smoczyka]]. They compete in the [[Ekstraliga (speedway)|Ekstraliga]] (the highest division)<ref>{{cite magazine |author= |title=Speedway from Around the Globe - Poland PGE Ekstraliga |url=|magazine=Speedway Star |page=42 |location= |publisher= |date=10 September 2022 |access-date=}}</ref> and are Poland's most accomplished team, winning 18 [[Team Speedway Polish Championship]]s (as of 2022).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.speedwayw.pl/pl_2022.htm |title=Historia Speedway Polsce 2022 |website=Historia Speedway |access-date=4 March 2023}}</ref>

==History== === 1949 to 1962 === The club competed in the inaugural [[1948 Polish speedway season]], under the name of '''LKM Leszno''' and won the silver medal.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.historyspeedway.nstrefa.pl/druzynowemp.php |title=HISTORICAL RESULTS 1948-2023 |website=Speedway History |access-date=17 February 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.speedwayw.pl/pl_1948.htm |title=Historia Speedway Polsce 1948 |website=Speedway History |access-date=17 February 2023}}</ref> The following year they captured the gold medal during the [[1949 Polish speedway season]] and Leszno rider [[Alfred Smoczyk]] won the [[Polish Individual Speedway Championship]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Bott|first=Richard|title=The Peter Collins Speedway Book No.4|year=1980|pages=101|publisher=Stanley Paul & Co Ltd|isbn=0-09-141751-1}}</ref> The team dominated the Championship during the following period and won six successive league titles from 1949 to 1954. The club later won bronze medals in [[1958 Polish speedway season|1958]] and [[1962 Polish speedway season|1962]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.speedwayw.pl/pl_1962.htm |title=Historia Speedway Polsce 1962 |website=Historia Speedway |access-date=7 March 2023}}</ref>

=== 1963 to 1978 === The 1960s were a much quieter time for the club as [[ŻKS ROW Rybnik|Rybnik]] dominated Polish speedway. Although [[Henryk Żyto]] won the 1963 [[Polish Individual Speedway Championship]], the club were relegated in 1964. They won the [[Polish Speedway First League]] in [[1966 Polish speedway season|1966]] but failed to gain promotion based on the two year system at the time. They finally gained promotion in [[1972 Polish speedway season|1972]] and began to compete again by the mid-70s. The team contained riders such as [[Zdzisław Dobrucki]] and [[Bernard Jąder]] who would win three Polish titles between them. Two bronze medals in [[1975 Polish speedway season|1975]] and [[1976 Polish speedway season|1976]] and one silver medal in [[1977 Polish speedway season|1977]] ensued.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.speedwayw.pl/pl_1970.htm |title=Historia Speedway Polsce 1970 |website=Historia Speedway |access-date=7 March 2023}}</ref>

=== 1979 to 1990 === [[File:Stal Gorzów-Unia Leszno 1981.jpg|thumb|left|1981, Ryszard Buskiewicz and Roman Jankowski of Leszno trail Jerzy Rembas of Gorzów]] 1979 to 1990 was a golden period for the club as they won five Polish championship gold medals, two silvers and one bronze. In addition they won the [[Polish Pairs Speedway Championship]] five times in [[1980 Polish speedway season|1980]], [[1984 Polish speedway season|1984]], [[1987 Polish speedway season|1987]], [[1988 Polish speedway season|1988]] and [[1989 Polish speedway season|1989]] and [[Roman Jankowski]] was twice Polish champion and [[Zenon Kasprzak]] was champion in [[1990 Polish speedway season|1990]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.speedwayw.pl/pl_1990.htm |title=Historia Speedway Polsce 1990 |website=Historia Speedway |access-date=7 March 2023}}</ref>

===1991 to 2001=== In contrast to earlier success, the club spent 11 years struggling, with the exception of winning the second division in [[1996 Polish speedway season|1996]]. They were however inaugural members of the [[Ekstraliga (speedway)|Ekstraliga]] in 2000.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.zuzelend.com/i,89,Historia-Druzynowych-Mistrzostw-Polski |title=Historia Drużynowych Mistrzostw Polski |website=Zuzeland.com |access-date=7 March 2023}}</ref>

===2002 to present=== [[File:Leigh Adams 2009.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Leigh Adams, rode for Unia from 1996 to 2010]] In 2002, a return to form saw the team win the silver medal and Unia became one of the leading teams in Polish speedway for the next two decades, matching the 1980s achievements. They have won ten medals, including seven gold's in [[2007 Polish speedway season|2007]], [[2010 Polish speedway season|2010]], [[2015 Polish speedway season|2015]], [[2017 Polish speedway season|2017]], [[2018 Polish speedway season|2018]], [[2019 Polish speedway season|2019]] and [[2020 Polish speedway season|2020]]. Five more Polish Pairs championships were added and riders such as [[Janusz Kołodziej (speedway rider)|Janusz Kołodziej]], [[Jarosław Hampel]] and [[Piotr Pawlicki Jr.]] have all become Polish champions. Foreign riders such as [[Leigh Adams]], [[Nicki Pedersen]] and [[Emil Saifutdinov]] have been integral in their gold medal wins in recent years. {{clear}}

==Previous teams== {{collapse top}}

'''2022 team'''

<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://unia.leszno.pl/kadra-ksul/ | title=KADRA KSUL – FOGO Unia Leszno – oficjalny serwis }}</ref>

*{{flagicon|POL}} [[Janusz Kołodziej (speedway rider)|Janusz Kolodziej]] *{{flagicon|POL}} [[Piotr Pawlicki Jr.|Piotr Pawlicki]] *{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Jason Doyle]] *{{flagicon|FRA}} [[David Bellego]] *{{flagicon|AUS}} Jaimon Lidsey *{{flagicon|DEN}} [[Jesper Knudsen (speedway rider)|Jesper Knudsen]] *{{flagicon|DEN}} [[Jonas Knudsen (speedway rider)|Jonas Kundsen]] *{{flagicon|AUS}} [[James Pearson (speedway rider)|James Pearson]] *{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Keynan Rew]] *{{flagicon|POL}} [[Hubert Scibak]] *{{flagicon|POL}} [[Damian Ratajczak]] *{{flagicon|POL}} [[Maksym Borowiak]] *{{flagicon|POL}} [[Antoni Mencel]] *{{flagicon|POL}} [[Hubert Jablonski]]

'''2023 team'''

*{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Chris Holder]] *{{flagicon|POL}} [[Janusz Kołodziej (speedway rider)|Janusz Kolodziej]] *{{flagicon|POL}} [[Bartosz Smektała]] *{{flagicon|AUS}} Jaimon Lidsey *{{flagicon|POL}} [[Grzegorz Zengota]] *{{flagicon|POL}} [[Damian Ratajczak]] *{{flagicon|POL}} [[Maksym Borowiak]] *{{flagicon|POL}} [[Antoni Mencel]] *{{flagicon|POL}} [[Hubert Jablonski]] *{{flagicon|AUS}} [[James Pearson (speedway rider)|James Pearson]] *{{flagicon|POL}} [[Tobias Musielak (born 2006)|Tobias Musielak]] *{{flagicon|POL}} [[Jakub Oleksiak]] *{{flagicon|POL}} [[Nazar Parnitskyi]] *{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Maurice Brown (speedway rider)|Maurice Brown]]

==Notable riders== {{columns-list|colwidth=15em| *{{player||AUS|[[Leigh Adams]]}} *{{player||POL|[[Damian Baliński]]}} *{{player||POL|[[Zdzisław Dobrucki]]}} *{{player||POL|[[Jarosław Hampel]]}} *{{player||POL|[[Bernard Jąder]]}} *{{player||POL|[[Roman Jankowski]]}} *{{player||POL|[[Zenon Kasprzak]]}} *{{player||POL|[[Janusz Kołodziej (speedway rider)|Janusz Kołodziej]]}} *{{player||POL|[[Zbigniew Krakowski]]}} *{{player||POL|[[Jan Krzystyniak]]}} *{{player||POL|[[Dominik Kubera]]}} *{{player||POL|[[Mariusz Okoniewski]]}} *{{player||POL|[[Józef Olejniczak]]}} *{{player||POL|[[Piotr Pawlicki Jr.]]}} *{{player||POL|[[Przemysław Pawlicki]]}} *{{player||DEN|[[Nicki Pedersen]]}} *{{player||RUS|[[Emil Saifutdinov]]}} *{{player||POL|[[Bartosz Smektała]]}} *{{player||POL|[[Alfred Smoczyk]]}} *{{player||POL|[[Grzegorz Zengota]]}} *{{player||POL|[[Henryk Żyto]]}} }}

==Honours== [[File:Fogo Unia Leszno DMP 2017.jpg|thumb|Unia Leszno riders celebrating the Polish Championship in 2017]]

===[[Team Speedway Polish Championship|Team Polish Champions]]=== *'''Gold:''' 18* (1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1979, 1980, 1984*, 1987, 1988, 1989, 2007, 2010, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020) *'''Silver:''' 8 (1948, 1977, 1982, 1983, 2002, 2008, 2011, 2014) *'''Bronze:''' 7 (1958, 1962, 1975, 1976, 1981, 1985, 1986)

===[[Polish Pairs Speedway Championship|Pair Polish Champion]]=== *'''Gold:''' 10 (1980, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989, 2003, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2020) *'''Silver:''' 9 (1978, 1982, 1985, 1991, 1994, 1999, 2008, 2016, 2022) *'''Bronze:''' 2 (2007, 2009)

===[[Individual Speedway Polish Championship|Individual Polish Champion]]=== *'''Gold:''' 13 (1949, 1950, 1963, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1988, 1990, 2010, 2011, 2018, 2019) *'''Silver:''' 9 (1955, 1962, 1987, 1988, 1996, 2008, 2009, 2014, 2016) *'''Bronze:''' 9 (1961, 1982, 1987, 1988, 1996, 2007, 2018, 2021, 2022)

==References== {{Reflist}}

[[Category:Speedway teams in Poland]] [[Category:Leszno]] [[Category:Sport in Greater Poland Voivodeship]] [[Category:1938 establishments in Poland]] [[Category:Sports clubs and teams established in 1938]]