Stefan Kwoczała
| Born | 15 June 1934 Kiedrzyn, Poland |
|---|---|
| Died | 7 July 2019 (aged 85) Częstochowa, Poland |
| Nationality | Polish |
| Career history | |
| Poland | |
| 1955-1961 | Częstochowa |
| Great Britain | |
| 1960 | Leicester Hunters |
| Individual honours | |
| 1959 | Polish Champion |
| Team honours | |
| 1959 | Polish League Champion |
Stefan Kwoczała (15 June 1934 – 7 July 2019) was a motorcycle speedway rider from Poland. He won the Polish championship in 1959 and reached the World Final in 1960, placing 7th.[1] He earned three international caps for the Poland national speedway team.[2]
Career
[edit]Born in Kiedrzyn, Kwoczała rode for Włókniarz Częstochowa in the Polish league between 1955 and 1961, and in 1959 won the Polish championship at Rybnik.[3] The same year he won one of the continental rounds of the World Championship, but failed to qualify for the final.
Kwoczała finished third in the 1960 European final at Wrocław, qualifying for the World final at Wembley Stadium, in which he scored 8 points to finish 7th.[3]
Kwoczała also rode in the National League in the UK in 1960 becoming the first Pole[4] to ride for Leicester Hunters[5][6] and was allocated to them the following season.[7]
His career ended after suffering a fractured skull in a crash at Kraków in 1961 during the Golden Helmet competition.[3] After retiring from racing he moved into coaching riders at Włókniarz Częstochowa and Gwardia Łódź.[6][8]
World Final Appearances
[edit]Individual World Championship
[edit]- 1960 -
London, Wembley Stadium - 7th - 7pts
Death
[edit]Stefan Kwoczała died in Częstochowa during the night of 6/7 July 2019, aged 85.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). A History of the World Speedway Championship. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-2402-5
- ^ "Ultimate Rider Index, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d Kozanecki, Mateusz (2019) "Nie żyje legenda częstochowskiego żużla. Stefan Kwoczała miał 85 lat", sportowefakty.pl, 7 July 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019
- ^ "Leicester Lions - polski klub w Elite League". Przegląd Sportowy Onet. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
- ^ "Hunters New Polish Rider Named". Leicester Daily Mercury. 11 March 1961. Retrieved 8 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ a b Noga, Robert (2014) "Robert Noga: Żużlowe podróże w czasie (133): Stefan Kwoczała - gwiazda, która mogła jaśniej rozbłysnąć", sportowefakty.pl, 21 September 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2019
- ^ "Searching for Poles". Sunday Mirror. 16 April 1961. Retrieved 6 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Rajek, Mateusz (2019) "Stefan Kwoczała nie żyje", radiofon.fm, 8 July 2019. Retrieved 10 July 2019