# Falubaz Zielona Góra

Falubaz Zielona Góra is a Polish motorcycle speedway team based in Zielona Góra who currently races in PGE Ekstraliga. It is one of the most successful teams in Poland, winning seven Team Speedway Polish Championships (latest in 2013). It is commonly known as Falubaz due to one of its former names.

## Stadium

The Zielona Góra Speedway Stadium, informally named as W69, is located on 69 Wrocławska Street. It contains 15,000 seats. The track is 337.50 metres long and has a granite surface. It has had an inflatable airfence since May 4, 2006. The stadium was later renovated with floodlights erected and the track widened on the bends. The club's new headquarters were also built and moved from 31 Dworcowa Street.

## History
### 1946 to 1979

The club was founded in 1946 with the establishing of a motorcycle department of Militia Sports Club (Polish Milicyjny Klub Sportowy). The first speedway race in the city took place on a 450 meters long track on October 20, 1946. The winner was Zygmunt Dolata as he holds best time of the meeting.
In 1947, Mieczysław Chlebisz, a re-emigrant from the United Kingdom, arrived back in the city, bringing the first professional speedway motorcycle which had been used in Britain. In 1948, a Poznan District League was set up, containing nine teams, including Unia Zielona Góra. The club's riders were (in alphabetical order): Jerzy Błoch, Mieczysław Chlebicz, Kazimierz Juzala, Alfons Kostusiak, Ksawery Sawicki, Józef Śmigielski, Stanisław Świstak and Marian Zadoń.
Second division honours were won in 1963/1964, 1971, 1975 and 1977. In between they won the bronze medal in the Team Speedway Polish Championship in 1973 and in 1979 they won their second bronze medal.

### 1980 to 1999

The 1980s saw a period of significant success for the club; they won their first team gold medal in 1981 and followed this up by defending their crown in 1982. In addition, Andrzej Huszcza won the 1982 Polish Individual Speedway Championship. Other riders at the time included Henryk Olszak, Maciej Jaworek and Jan Krzystyniak.
Just three years later in 1985 they secured a third gold medal and Maciej Jaworek was Polish champion in 1986. The good form continued as they picked up a silver medal in 1989 before winning a fourth Championship gold medal in 1991. The period of success was followed by nine seasons of mediocrity.

### 2000 to 2007

When the Ekstraliga was introduced in 2000, Zielona Gora were in 1. Liga but were able to win the division and return to the top league for 2001. However they bounced back and forth from the divisions winning the 1.Liga in both 2002 and 2006. Rafał Okoniewski won the Golden Helmet in 2003.

### 2008 to present

It was not until 2008 that they won a top league honour, winning the bronze medal, before being crowned champions of Poland in 2009 for the fifth time in their history.
The team then embarked on another superb run, winning the Polish Pairs Speedway Championship in 2009 (Rafał Dobrucki and Grzegorz Walasek), team silver in 2010, gold in 2011 and 2013. Some of the star riders at the time were former world champion Greg Hancock, Swede, Andreas Jonsson and Piotr Protasiewicz.
During celebrations of the team's 2011 victory, a fan was accidentally run over and by an unmarked police vehicle and died, which led to overnight riots.
Patryk Dudek completed the Polish Championship and Golden Helmet double during the 2016 Polish speedway season and the team picked up a bronze medal.
In 2021 the team were relegated from the Ekstraliga after a 14-year stay.
In their first season in the 1. Liga Falubaz failed to gain promotion back to the top league after losing the promotion play-off final to Wilki Krosno.
In the 2023 season, Falubaz went on to win the league title and get promoted to Ekstraliga after winning all of their 20 matches, becoming only the second club to achieve this feat on the second level after Unia Leszno in 1996.

## Teams
### 2024 Team

* Przemysław Pawlicki
* Jarosław Hampel
* Rasmus Jensen
* Jan Kvěch
* Piotr Pawlicki
* Michał Curzytek
* Krzysztof Sadurski
* Oskar Hurysz
* Kacper Rychliński
* Mateusz Łopuski

### Previous teams
## Notable riders

* Rafał Dobrucki
* Patryk Dudek
* Greg Hancock
* Andrzej Huszcza
* Maciej Jaworek
* Andreas Jonsson
* Jan Krzystyniak
* Rafał Okoniewski
* Henryk Olszak
* Piotr Protasiewicz
* Grzegorz Walasek

## Honours

| Competitions | Total | Golden medals | Golden medals | Silver medals | Silver medals | Bronze medals | Bronze medals |
| Competitions | Total | Total | Years | Total | Years | Total | Years |
| Team (DMP) (since 1948) | 14 | 7 | 1981, 1982, 1985, 1991, 2009, 2011, 2013 | 2 | 1989, 2010 | 5 | 1973, 1979, 1984, 2008, 2016 |
| Team U-21 (MDMP) (since 1978) | 12 | 5 | 1980, 1987, 1988, 2019, 2020 | | | 7 | 1979, 1986, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2010, 2014 |
| Pairs (MPPK) (since 1974) | 14 | 4 | 1979, 1982, 1983, 2009 | 7 | 1993, 2003, 2011, 2012, 2017, 2018, 2020 | 3 | 1986, 2008, 2021 |
| Pairs U-21 (MMPPK) (1980 U-23; since 1983) | 12 | 4 | 1988, 2001, 2019, 2020 | 2 | 2009, 2011 | 6 | 1985, 1989, 1991, 1992, 2002, 2015 |
| Individual (IMP) (since 1948) | 14 | 3 | 1982, 1986, 2016 | 2 | 1980, 1992 | 9 | 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1991, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2017 |
| Individual U-21 (MIMP) (since 1967) | 18 | 7 | 1973, 1975, 1982, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2013 | 3 | 1971, 1978, 1989 | 8 | 1977, 1981, 1984, 1992, 2008, 2011, 2015, 2020 |
| Total Polish Championship medals: 84 | Total Polish Championship medals: 84 | Gold: 30 | Gold: 30 | Silver: 16 | Silver: 16 | Bronze: 38 | Bronze: 38 |
| Competitions | Total | I place | I place | II place | II place | III place | III place |
| Competitions | Total | Total | Years | Total | Years | Total | Years |
| European Club (KPE) (since 1998) | 1 | | | | | 1 | 2010 |
| Team Cup (DPP) (?) | 1 | 1 | 1992 | | | | |
| Golden Helmet (ZK) (since 1961) | 16 | 4 | 1983, 2003, 2007, 2016 | 4 | 1989, 1991, 2009, 2011 | 8 | 1978, 1983, 1985, 1986, 2000, 2010, 2013, 2019 |
| Silver Helmet U-21 (SK) (since 1966) | 28 | 11 | 1970, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1993, 2009, 2016 | 10 | 1970, 1978, 1985, 1990, 1991, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2013 | 7 | 1976, 1979, 1981, 1989, 1997, 2001, 2011 |
| Bronze Helmet U-19 (BK) (1976-81; since 1983) | 12 | 3 | 1985, 2010, 2011 | 3 | 1976, 1986, 2009 | 6 | 1978, 1986, 1987, 1995, 2000, 2016 |