Why are world champions racing in Poland’s second league?
Chris Holder, Tai Woffinden and Jason Doyle - former world champions - will race in the same league in 2026. But it’s not the top division.
They will compete in Metalkas 2. Ekstraliga, the second tier of Polish speedway, starting April 4.
Poland is widely considered the center of professional speedway, with the strongest leagues and highest level of competition in the world. That’s why even the second division can feature global stars.
Speedway is a motorcycle sport raced on oval dirt tracks, with four riders competing over four laps.
In most sports, you won’t find multiple world champions in a second division — but in Polish speedway, it happens.
Individual world champions in the league
Chris Holder - World Champion 2012
Tai Woffinden - World Champion 2013, 2015, 2018
Jason Doyle - World Champion 2017
Bartosz Smektała - U21 World Champion 2018
Wiktor Przyjemski - U21 World Champion 2024
League winner odds (Decimal / US / UK)
Abramczyk Polonia Bydgoszcz - 1.35 / -286 / 7/20
Cellfast Wilki Krosno - 3.75-4.75 / +275 to +375 / 11/4 to 15/4
Moonfin Magnus Ostrów - 5.50-6.00 / +450 to +500 / 9/2 to 5/1
Hunters PSŻ Poznań - 25.00-30.00 / +2400 to +2900 / 24/1 to 29/1
ZKS Stal Rzeszów - 40.00-50.00 / +3900 to +4900 / 39/1 to 49/1
Innpro ROW Rybnik - 75.00-150.00 / +7400 to +14900 / 74/1 to 149/1
Orzeł Łódź - 130.00-200.00 / +12900 to +19900 / 129/1 to 199/1
Polonia Piła - 250.00-300.00 / +24900 to +29900 / 249/1 to 299/1
Teams to watch
Abramczyk Polonia Bydgoszcz - main favorite, led by Wiktor Przyjemski (2024 U21 World Champion)
Cellfast Wilki Krosno - main challenger with Jason Doyle and Luke Becker
Moonfin Magnus Ostrów - star power with Tai Woffinden and Chris Holder, but with question marks after injuries and preseason form
Luke Becker is the only American in this league, but not the only one in Poland. Slater Lightcap races in the top division, while Alex Martin competes in the third tier.
Round 1 - full lineups
April 4 - 2:00 PM (Poland)
Moonfin Magnus Ostrów vs Hunters PSŻ Poznań
Ostrów:
Tai Woffinden, Franciszek Dymowski, Frederik Jakobsen, Chris Holder, Gleb Chugunov, Filip Seniuk, Paweł Sitek
Poznań:
Dimitri Berge, Kacper Pludra, Bartosz Smektała, Niels Kristian Iversen, Ryan Douglas, Antoni Mencel, Kamil Witkowski
April 4 - 4:30 PM
Rzeszów:
Anders Rowe, Mateusz Szczepaniak, Oskar Fajfer, Andreas Lyager, Rasmus Jensen, Franciszek Majewski, Maksym Borowiak
Łódź:
Marcin Nowak, Zach Cook, Villads Nagel, Szymon Szlauderbach, Oliver Berntzon, Krzysztof Lewandowski, Kacper Halkiewicz
April 5 - 4:30 PM
Polonia Piła vs Innpro ROW Rybnik
Piła:
Benjamin Basso, Bartosz Lewandowski, Adrian Cyfer, Matias Nielsen, Wiktor Jasiński, Tobiasz Jakub Musielak, Kacper Teska
Rybnik:
Jakub Jamróg, Patryk Wojdyło, Jesper Knudsen, Wiktor Lampart, Jan Kvech, Kacper Tkocz, Paweł Wyczyszczok
April 5 - 7:00 PM
Abramczyk Polonia Bydgoszcz vs Cellfast Wilki Krosno
Bydgoszcz:
Szymon Woźniak, Adam Putkowski, Tom Brennan, Kai Huckenbeck, Krzysztof Buczkowski, Maksymilian Pawełczak, Kacper Andrzejewski
Krosno:
Tobiasz Musielak, Marcus Birkemose, Luke Becker, Robert Chmiel, Jason Doyle, Radosław Kowalski, Szymon Bańdur
Why this league matters
Metalkas 2. Ekstraliga is officially the second division, but in 2026 it features world champions, top prospects, and real promotion stakes.
For new fans, it’s one of the easiest ways to get into speedway: recognizable names, clear structure, and high-level racing from the very first round.