MAGIC BACK IN POLISH TEAM FOR 2021

World No.4 Maciej Janowski is back in the Polish national team for 2021 after being recalled by new boss Rafal Dobrucki.

Magic was controversially left out of the squad for 2020 by now retired coach Marek Cieslak after the pair fell out over the Wroclaw icon’s withdrawal from Poland’s test match against the Rest of the World in Rybnik in October 2019.

But with Dobrucki now at the helm, Janowski is back in contention for a Monster Energy FIM Speedway of Nations spot next autumn.

Former SGP star Piotr Pawlicki also returns after he too was dropped by Cieslak for missing the Rybnik event.

World champion Bartosz Zmarzlik spearheads a stellar squad, with former world No.2s Krzysztof Kasprzak, Patryk Dudek and Jaroslaw Hampel all selected, along with former SGP regular Janusz Kolodziej and Szymon Wozniak, who partnered Zmarzlik to silver in this year’s SON Final.

The Poles have named a squad for the new European Under-23 Championship, featuring Gleb Chugunov, Dominik Kubera and Bartosz Smektala.

The under-21 squad list features Czestochowa shooting star Jakub Miskowiak, Wiktor Lampart, Wiktor Jasinski, Mateusz Swidnicki and Karol Zupinski.

Lublin signing Mateusz Cierniak is the standout name on the under-19 list. He is joined by Bartlomiej Kowalski, Damian Ratajczak and Sebastian Szostak.

Dobrucki hopes his new-look squad will end Poland’s search for a first SON gold medal. He said: “I announced that I would like the team to include riders representing the country at the highest level and this is what it is. There are no surprises.

“Our main goal in 2021 when it comes to the senior team will be to win the Speedway of Nations, which we have never managed to do for various reasons.”