{{Short description|Polish speedway rider (1953–2020)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}} {{Infobox speedway rider | name= Zenon Plech | image = Zenon Plech 310376.jpg | nationality = Polish | birth_date = {{Birth date|1953|1|1|df=y}} | death_date = {{Death date and age|2020|11|25|1953|1|1|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Zwierzyn, Lubusz Voivodeship|Zwierzyn]], Poland | death_place = [[Gdańsk]], Poland
| years1 = | career1 = Poland | years2 = 1970–1976 | career2 = [[Stal Gorzów Wielkopolski|Gorzów]] | years3 = 1977–1987 | career3 = [[Wybrzeże Gdańsk|Gdańsk]] | years4 = | career4 = Great Britain | years5 = 1975–1976, 1979–1981 | career5 = [[Hackney Hawks]] | years6 = 1982 | career6 = [[Sheffield Tigers]] | indivyear1 = 1972, 1974, 1979, 1984, 1985 | indivhonour1 = [[Individual Speedway Polish Championship|Polish Champion]] | indivyear2 = 1980, 1983 | indivhonour2 = [[Continental_Speedway_Final|Continental Champion]] | indivyear3 = 1973, 1974, 1978 | indivhonour3 = [[Golden Helmet (Poland)|Poland Golden Helmet Winner]] | indivyear4 = 1971 | indivhonour4 = [[Silver Helmet (Poland)|Poland Silver Helmet Winner]] | teamyear1 = 1973, 1975, 1976, 1985 | teamhonour1 = [[Team Speedway Polish Championship|Polish League Champion]] }}
'''Zenon Plech''' (1 January 1953 – 25 November 2020) was a Polish international [[motorcycle speedway]] rider. He finished third in the [[Speedway World Championship]] in 1973 and as the runner-up in 1979.<ref>Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). ''A History of the World Speedway Championship''. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. {{ISBN|0-7524-2402-5}}</ref> He earned 76 international caps for the [[Poland national speedway team]].<ref name=URI>{{cite web |url=https://britishspeedway.co.uk/docs/Ultimate_Index_1929-2022.pdf |title=Ultimate Rider Index, 1929-2022 |website=British Speedway |access-date=7 March 2024}}</ref>
== Career == Plech won the [[Individual Speedway Polish Championship|Polish National Championship]] five times (1972, 1975, 1979, 1985 and 1986) and runner-up twice (1981 and 1983). He also was a member of the [[Poland speedway team|Poland team]] to take third place in the World Team Cup in 1972 and 1981.
Zenon Plech's third place in the [[1973 Individual Speedway World Championship|1973 World Final]] at the [[Silesian Stadium]] in [[Chorzów]], Poland was controversial. On the last lap of Heat 19, Soviet rider [[Grigory Khlinovsky]] had attempted to pass Plech for the lead going into the back straight. As he was passed by the Russian, Plech lost control of his bike and fell. Despite protests from riders and the Soviet officials, and taking no other eyewitness account into consideration, the referee assigned to the meeting by the [[Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme|FIM]] simply took Plech's word that Khlynovski had knocked him off his bike. England's [[Peter Collins (speedway rider)|Peter Collins]] was awarded the heat win, Plech was awarded 2nd despite not actually finishing the race, while another Russian, [[Valery Gordeev]], was awarded third place despite also not finishing when he crashed into Plech's fallen bike.<ref name="ww76">{{Cite book| last = Oakes | first = Peter |author2=Mauger, Ivan OBE, MBE |author-link2=Ivan Mauger| title = Who's Who of World Speedway | publisher = Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd | year = 1976 | isbn = 0-904584-04-6}}</ref>
The result of the two points he gained for second place allowed Plech to finish a clear third in the championship. The ruling, with Khlynovski excluded, should have seen Collins as the only point scorer as he was the only rider to finish, and Plech scoring no points after failing to finish. This would have resulted in Plech only finishing the championship on 10 points and in a 5th place tie with Khlynovski. Had the Russian not been excluded and had been awarded the heat win as many, including World Champions [[Ivan Mauger]] and [[Ole Olsen (speedway rider)|Ole Olsen]], believe should have been the case, he would have ended on 13 points. This would have put him in the run-off for the title with winner [[Jerzy Szczakiel]] (Poland) and defending champion Mauger.<ref name="ww76"/>
He rode for [[Hackney Hawks]]<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003584/19770317/032/0032 |title=Crack Poles at Smallmead |website=Bracknell Times |date=17 March 1977 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=8 September 2024}}</ref> between 1975<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001928/19751008/110/0018 |title=Speedway |website=Eastbourne Gazette |date=8 October 1975 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=12 September 2024}}</ref> and 1981 missing two seasons in 1977 and 1978 after being drafted into the [[Polish Armed Forces|Polish Army]] although Hackney operated "Zenon Plech (Rider Replacement)" for the entire 1977 season. He then rode briefly for [[Sheffield Tigers]] in the [[Speedway British League|British League]].<ref>Fenn, C.(2003). ''Hackney Speedway, Friday at Eight''. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. {{ISBN|0-7524-2737-7}}</ref>
== World Final Appearances == === Individual World Championship === * [[1973 Individual Speedway World Championship|1973]] – {{flagicon|POL}} [[Chorzów]], [[Silesian Stadium]] – '''3rd''' – 12pts * [[1974 Individual Speedway World Championship|1974]] – {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Gothenburg]], [[Ullevi]] – 8th – 8pts * [[1975 Individual Speedway World Championship|1975]] – {{flagicon|ENG}} London, [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]] – 14th – 4pts * [[1976 Individual Speedway World Championship|1976]] – {{flagicon|POL}} Chorzów, Silesian Stadium – 5th – 11pts * [[1979 Individual Speedway World Championship|1979]] – {{flagicon|POL}} Chorzów, Silesian Stadium – '''2nd''' – 13pts * [[1980 Individual Speedway World Championship|1980]] – {{flagicon|SWE}} Gothenburg, Ullevi – 15th – 1pt * [[1981 Individual Speedway World Championship|1981]] – {{flagicon|ENG}} London, Wembley Stadium – 15th – 3pts * [[1983 Individual Speedway World Championship|1983]] – {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Norden, Lower Saxony|Norden]], [[Motodrom Halbemond]] – 15th – 1pt
===World Pairs Championship=== * [[1973 Speedway World Pairs Championship|1973]] – {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Borås]], [[Ryavallen]] (with [[Zbigniew Marcinkowski]]) – '''3rd''' – 21pts (14) * [[1974 Speedway World Pairs Championship|1974]] – {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Manchester]], [[Hyde Road (speedway)|Hyde Road]] (with [[Edward Jancarz]]) – 5th – 18pts (12) * [[1976 Speedway World Pairs Championship|1976]] – {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Eskilstuna]], [[Eskilstuna Motorstadion]] (with Edward Jancarz) – 7th – 10pts (3) * [[1979 Speedway World Pairs Championship|1979]] – {{flagicon|DEN}} [[Vojens]], [[Vojens Speedway Center]] (with Edward Jancarz) – '''3rd''' – 20pts (7) * [[1980 Speedway World Pairs Championship|1980]] – {{flagicon|YUG}} [[Krško]], [[Matija Gubec Stadium]] (with Edward Jancarz) – '''2nd''' – 22pts (7) * [[1981 Speedway World Pairs Championship|1981]] – {{flagicon|POL}} Chorzów, Silesian Stadium (with Edward Jancarz) – '''3rd''' – 21pts (15)
===World Team Cup=== * [[1972 Speedway World Team Cup|1972]] – {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Olching]], [[Olching Speedwaybahn]] (with [[Henryk Glücklich]] / [[Paweł Waloszek]] / [[Zdzisław Dobrucki]] / [[Marek Cieślak]]) – '''3rd''' – 21pts (7) * [[1973 Speedway World Team Cup|1973]] – {{flagicon|ENG}} London, Wembley Stadium (with Paweł Waloszek / [[Edward Jancarz]] / [[Jerzy Szczakiel]] / [[Jan Mucha (speedway rider)|Jan Mucha]]) – 4th – 8pts (5) * [[1974 Speedway World Team Cup|1974]] – {{flagicon|POL}} Chorzów, Silesian Stadium (with Jan Mucha / [[Andrzej Jurczyński]] / [[Andrzej Tkocz]] / Jerzy Szczakiel) – '''3rd''' – 13pts (4) * [[1975 Speedway World Team Cup|1975]] – {{flagicon|FRG}} Norden, Motodrom Halbemond (with Henryk Glucklich / Edward Jancarz / Marek Cieślak / [[Jerzy Rembas]]) – 4th – 9pts (0) * [[1976 Speedway World Team Cup|1976]] – {{flagicon|ENG}} London, [[White City Stadium]] (with Edward Jancarz / Marek Cieślak / Jerzy Rembas / [[Boleslaw Proch]]) – '''2nd''' – 28pts (6) * [[1978 Speedway World Team Cup|1978]] – {{flagicon|FRG}} [[Landshut]], [[Ellermühle Speedway Stadium]] (with Edward Jancarz / Marek Cieślak / Jerzy Rembas / [[Andrzej Huszcza]]) – '''3rd''' – 16+3pts (1) * [[1979 Speedway World Team Cup|1979]] – {{flagicon|ENG}} London, White City Stadium (with [[Piotr Pyszny]] / [[Robert Słaboń]] / Marek Cieślak / [[Andrzej Tkocz]]) – 4th – 11pts (4) * [[1980 Speedway World Team Cup|1980]] – {{flagicon|POL}} [[Wrocław]], [[Olympic Stadium (Wrocław)|Olympic Stadium]] (with [[Roman Jankowski]] / Andrzej Huszcza / Edward Jancarz / Jerzy Rembas) – '''3rd''' – 15pts (5) * [[1984 Speedway World Team Cup|1984]] – {{flagicon|POL}} [[Leszno]] (with Roman Jankowski / [[Zenon Kasprzak]] / [[Leonard Raba]] / Boleslaw Proch) – 4th – 8pts (4)
==After retirement== Plech became the coach of clubs from [[Wybrzeże Gdańsk|Gdańsk]], [[Stal Gorzów Wielkopolski|Gorzów Wielkopolski]] and [[WTS Wrocław|Wrocław]]. He was a manager of [[Poland speedway team|Polish national team]] which finished second in the [[2001 Speedway World Cup Final]] behind [[Australia speedway team|Australia]] at Wrocław's [[Olympic Stadium (Wrocław)|Olympic Stadium]]. He was the coach of [[Polonia Bydgoszcz]] and [[Wybrzeże Gdańsk]] U-16 team.
Plech was also a speedway commentator for Polish television.
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Plech, Zenon}} [[Category:1953 births]] [[Category:2020 deaths]] [[Category:Polish speedway riders]] [[Category:Polish speedway champions]] [[Category:Hackney Hawks riders]] [[Category:Polish expatriate speedway riders in England]] [[Category:Sheffield Tigers riders]] [[Category:People from Strzelce-Drezdenko County]] [[Category:Motorcycle racers from Lubusz Voivodeship]]