Toruń edge Sparta 48:42 in PGE Ekstraligi top clash but Wrocław keep bonus point and table lead

Toruń hold fortress without Dudek

PRES Grupa Deweloperska Toruń defeated Betard Sparta Wrocław 48:42 on 16 August at the Motoarena in round 13 of the PGE Ekstraligi, the top-of-the-table clash between the league's two best teams. Toruń had to line up without Patryk Dudek, who crashed heavily in the 3rd final of the Individual Polish Championship in Ostrów Wielkopolski on 15 August. Dudek went straight to hospital complaining of neck pain, but scans confirmed no fractures. He announced he needed several days of rest and would miss the Sparta match, expressing confidence his teammates would deliver. The home side sold standing-room tickets and drew 16,401 spectators, a record attendance for the venue.

Heat-by-heats: control, wobble, recovery

Toruń dominated the opening phase, leading 15:9 after four heats with Antoni Kawczyński winning heat 1 ahead of Artiom Łaguta and all Toruń riders winning their individual races. Mikkel Michelsen, Emil Sajfutdinow and Robert Lambert were described as elusive for the visitors. Sparta, still without the injured Daniel Bewley, had to wait until heat 9 for their first individual win. Brady Kurtz and Łaguta then delivered a double win in heat 11 (1:5), and Maciej Janowski with Mikkel Andersen repeated the feat in heat 12, levelling the match at 36:36.

Nominated heats decide it

Heat 13 proved pivotal. Sajfutdinow overtook Kurtz on the track, and with Lambert beating Łaguta, Toruń won 4:2 to lead 40:38. Heat 14 saw controversy when Lambert stopped after close contact with Janowski on the first bend and did not leave the track while Sparta led 5:1. Referee Paweł Słupski interrupted the race and, after lengthy deliberation, ordered a full restart. Lambert won the re-run, Norick Bloedorn finished third, and Toruń led 44:40. Sajfutdinow, unbeaten on the night, sealed the 48:42 win in heat 15.

Bonus point and table implications

Despite the defeat, Sparta retained the bonus point from the two-leg aggregate, having won the first leg 52:38. Both teams are now level on points in the PGE Ekstraligi table, but Sparta hold first place thanks to the bonus advantage. In the final round on 21-23 August, Sparta host bottom-side Krono-Plast Włókniarz Częstochowa on Friday, effectively securing the regular-season title. Toruń travel to Gezet Stal Gorzów on Sunday.

Motor Lublin climb to third

In the other Sunday fixture, Orlen Oil Motor Lublin beat Fogo Unia Leszno 48:42, climbing from 5th to 3rd place. Bartosz Zmarzlik scored 14 points, though a mechanical failure on the last lap of heat 15 cost him a maximum. Motor also secured the bonus point. Their play-off fate will be decided by Friday's away match at Bayersystem GKM Grudziądz, where they need at least a draw. Fogo Unia Leszno remain certain of a play-off spot in 4th. The individual standings are led by Zmarzlik with a 2.636 heat average, ahead of Jack Holder (2.452) and Artiom Łaguta (2.349).