Piotr Protasiewicz ['piɔtr prɔtaˈsiɛvit͡sz] (born 25 January 1975 in Zielona Góra, Poland) is a Polish international speedway rider. He is a four times World team champion and earned 24 international caps for the Poland national speedway team.[1]

Piotr Protasiewicz
Protasiewicz in 2007
Born (1975-01-25) 25 January 1975 (age 49)
Zielona Góra, Poland
NationalityPolish
Career history
Poland
1991–1994, 2007–2022Zielona Góra
1995–1996Wrocław
1997–2002, 2005–2006Bydgoszcz
2003–2004Toruń
Great Britain
1998King's Lynn
2002–2003Peterborough
2005–2006Ipswich
2007Oxford
Sweden
2000–2019Indianerna
Denmark
2008Outrup
2009–2011, 2016–2017Esbjerg
2021Region Varde
Individual honours
1997, 2003GP Challenge winner
1999Polish champion
Team honours
1996, 2005, 2009, 2011World Cup winner

Career

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Piotr Protasiewicz (2006 as Polonia Bydgoszcz's captain)

Protasiewicz began his career riding for Falubaz Zielona Góra in 1991 where he would spend four seasons.[2] He began to record some notable performances including reaching the finals of three Speedway Under-21 World Championship in 1993, 1995 and 1996. In the 1996 final he scored a perfect 15 point maximum to be crowned the World U21 champion.[3][4]

He rode for the Polish national team in the 1996 Speedway World Cup[5] and in October 1997, during the Speedway Grand Prix Qualification he won the GP Challenge, which ensured that he claimed a permanent slot for the 1998 Grand Prix. He would repeat this feat three years later in October 2003.[6]

 
Protasiewicz riding for Oxford

Protasiewicz made his British league debut in 1998 for the King's Lynn Stars and would spend two seasons with the Peterborough Panthers and two seasons with the Ipswich Witches before a final season with Oxford Cheetahs in 2007.[7] He won a second World Cup gold medal for Poland in the 2005.

In total he rode in 12 Speedway Grand Prix series, the laste bing the 2010 Speedway Grand Prix. Protasiewicz won his third and fourth Speedway World Cup gold medals at the 2009 Speedway World Cup, 2011 Speedway World Cup.

He spent several seasons with Polonia Bydgoszcz before returning to his first club Zielona Góra.[2] In 2022, he started his 16th consecutive season with the club.

Awards

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For his sport achievements, he received the Silver Cross of Merit in 2000.

Personal life

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He married his girlfriend Katarzyna on 25 October 2002. They have two children. His father, Paweł was speedway rider too.

Speedway Grand Prix results

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1996 Speedway Grand Prix Final Championship standings
(Riding No 16)
Race no. Grand Prix Pos. Pts. Heats Draw No
6 /6   SGP 14th 3 (2,2,E,F,0) +2D 14
1997 Speedway Grand Prix Final Championship standings
(Riding No 15)
Race no. Grand Prix Pos. Pts. Heats Draw No
1 /6   Czech Rep. SGP 16th 1 (3,0,1,0,0) +0D 1
2 /6   Swedish SGP 18th - - 18
3 /6   SGP 8th 11 (3,3,1,0,0) +0B 13
4 /6   British SGP 17th 0 (0) 17
5 /6   Polish SGP 4th 18 (2,3,3,1,2) +0A 5
6 /6   SGP 14th 3 (0,2,1,0,0) +2D 10
1998 Speedway Grand Prix Final Championship standings
(Riding No 13)
Race no. Grand Prix Pos. Pts. Heats Draw No
1 /6   Czech Rep. SGP 21st 2 (0,1) 13
2 /6   SGP 23rd 1 (1,0) 18
3 /6   SGP 15th 5 (0,3,2) (0,0) 20
4 /6   British SGP 21st 2 (0,1) 13
5 /6   Swedish SGP 19th 3 (3,1,0) 19
6 /6   Polish SGP 20th 3 (2,0,0) 18
1999 Speedway Grand Prix Final Championship standings
(Riding No 24)
Race no. Grand Prix Pos. Pts. Heats Draw No
1 /6   Czech Rep. SGP 24th 1 (0,0) 24
5 /6   Polish II SGP 24th 1 (0,0) 24
2000 Speedway Grand Prix Final Championship standings
(Riding No 23)
Race no. Grand Prix Pos. Pts. Heats Draw No
3 /6   Polish SGP 22nd 2 (X,1) 23
6 /6   European SGP 24th 1 (0,0) 23
2001 Speedway Grand Prix Final Championship standings
(Riding No 16)
Race no. Grand Prix Pos. Pts. Heats Draw No
1 /6   SGP 17th 4 (2,0,1) 16
2 /6   British SGP 14th 6 (1,2,2) (1,1) 15
3 /6   SGP 23rd 1 (0,0) 14
4 /6   Czech Rep. SGP 16th 5 (0,2,2) (0,0) 19
5 /6   Polish SGP 21st 2 (1,1) 14
6 /6   Swedish SGP 21st 2 (0,1) 18
2002 Speedway Grand Prix Final Championship standings
(Riding No 23) (26)
Race no. Grand Prix Pos. Pts. Heats Draw No
2 /10   Polish SGP 12th 7 (2,2) (1,3,0) 23
5 /10   Swedish SGP 18th 4 (1,3,1) 17
8 /10   European SGP 24th 1 (1,0) 18
9 /10   SGP 14th 6 (0) (0,1) 6
2003 Speedway Grand Prix Final Championship standings
(Riding No 19)
Race no. Grand Prix Pos. Pts. Heats Draw No
1 /9   European SGP 6th 13 (2,3) (3,2) +1 19
2 /9   Swedish SGP 13th 6 (1) (1,1) 6
3 /9   British SGP 10th 8 (1,2,2) (2,1,1) 13
4 /9   SGP 13th 6 (3,3) (1,1) 10
5 /9   Slovenian SGP 21st 2 (1,1) 13
6 /9   Scandinavian SGP 19th 3 (1,2,0) 16
7 /9   Czech Rep. SGP 18th 4 (1,2,1) 18
8 /9   Polish SGP 4th 16 (2,0,3) (2,2) +2 +0 18
9 /9   Norwegian SGP 16th 5 (3) (1,0) 4
2004 Speedway Grand Prix Final Championship standings
(Riding No 12)
Race no. Grand Prix Pos. Pts. Heats Draw No
1 /9   Swedish SGP 21st 2 (1,1) 12
2 /9   Czech Rep. SGP 23rd 1 (0,0) 20
3 /9   European SGP 4th 16 (2,1,2) (2,1,3) +3 +0 21
4 /9   British SGP 12th 7 (0) (0,2,0) 4
5 /9   SGP 15th 5 (1,2,2) (0,0) 11
6 /9   Scandinavian SGP 15th 5 (2,2) (0,0) 14
7 /9   Slovenian SGP 16th 5 (2,2) (0,0) 14
8 /9   Polish SGP 11th 7 (1,3,2) (0,3,0) 15
9 /9   Norwegian SGP 11th 7 (3,1,2) (1,2,0) 11
2005 Speedway Grand Prix Final Championship standings
(Riding No 16)
Race no. Grand Prix Pos. Pts. Heats Draw No
8 /9   Polish SGP 6th 11 (2,2,2,2,3) +0 7
2006 Speedway Grand Prix Final Championship standings
(Riding No 14)
Race no. Grand Prix Pos. Pts. Heats Draw No
1 /10   Slovenian SGP 16th 1 (1,0,0,0,0) 4
2 /10   European SGP 15th 3 (0,1,1,1,E) 14
3 /10   Swedish SGP 15th 3 (0,0,0,2,1) 3
4 /10   British SGP 16th 3 (2,0,0,1,E) 16
5 /10   SGP 16th 1 (0,1,0,0,0) 7
6 /10   Italian SGP 15th 3 (0,2,0,1,0) 15
7 /10   Scandinavian SGP 13th 4 (1,2,0,1,0) 12
8 /10   Czech Rep. SGP 12th 5 (1,0,1,3,0) 9
9 /10   Latvian SGP 14th 4 (1,0,1,1,1) 2
10 /10   Polish SGP 13th 4 (1,0,2,0,1) 6
  permanent speedway rider
  wild card, track reserve or qualified reserve
  rider not classified (track reserve who did not start)

Honours

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Speedway Grand Prix

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  • 1996 - 21st place (as wild card)
  • 1997 - 13th place
  • 1998 - 21st place
  • 1999 - 30th place (as wild card)
  • 2000 - 30th place (as wild card)
  • 2001 - 20th place
  • 2002 - 24th place (as wild card)
  • 2003 - 11th place
  • 2004 - 15th place
  • 2005 - 18th place (as wild card)
  • 2006 - 16th place
  • 2010 - 18th place

World Under-21 Championship

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  • 1993 - 5th place
  • 1995 - 7th place
  • 1996 - World Champion

Speedway World Cup

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Other events

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Individual Speedway Junior Polish Championship (U-21)

Polish Pairs Speedway Championship

  • 1993 - Silver medal
  • 1995 - Silver medal
  • 1997 - Polish Champion
  • 1998 - Silver medal
  • 1999 - Polish Champion
  • 2000 - Polish Champion
  • 2001 - Silver medal
  • 2002 - Polish Champion
  • 2003 - Bronze medal
  • 2004 - Polish Champion
  • 2005 - Silver medal
  • 2006 - Silver medal

Polish Pairs Speedway Junior Championship (U-21)

  • 1993 - Bronze medal

Team Speedway Polish Championship

  • 1995 - Polish Champion
  • 1997 - Polish Champion
  • 1998 - Polish Champion
  • 1999 - 4th place
  • 2000 - Polish Champion
  • 2001 - Bronze medal
  • 2002 - Polish Champion
  • 2003 - Silver medal
  • 2004 - 4th place
  • 2005 - Silver medal
  • 2006 - Bronze medal

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Ultimate Rider Index, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Piotr Protasiewicz". Polish Speedway Database. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  3. ^ "1996". Speedway.org. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  4. ^ "Speedway Week". Birmingham Daily Post. 5 August 1996. Retrieved 10 March 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. ^ Montague, Trevor (2004). The A-Z of Sport. Little, Brown. p. 527. ISBN 0-316-72645-1.
  6. ^ "HISTORICAL LIST OF RESULTS 1995-2013 Speedway Grand Prix - Qualifications". Speedway History. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  7. ^ "2008 Rider index" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 1 April 2023.