They travel hundreds of miles so that a 10-year-old from Poland can develop

As we wrote in WP SportoweFakty, the sons of two Poles who moved to the United Kingdom from Częstochowa take their first steps in black sport in the British Isles.

The profiles of both boys were presented by their fathers in an interview with our website. You can read about 9-year-old Adam Sidyk, and today an interview with the father of 10-year-old Casper Kluczniak, Kamil.

Konrad Cinkowski, WP SportoweFakty: Casper is just learning speedway and has to go a long way to be known in Poland. At the beginning, please tell something about your son, introduce his figure.

Kamil Kluczniak, the player's father: Casper was born in July 2011 in Nuneaton (less than 10 miles from Coventry - red note), and two years later his sister - Olivia was born. He learned to ride a bike fairly early and he enjoyed the sliding of the rear wheel, so I often had to order spare tires, because the tires he rode on were worn out. She finds a common language with her peers and loves reading books in her free time. Of course, his greatest passion is black sport, but once a week he and his sister attend swimming classes.

How was his beginnings with two wheels and with the speedway itself?

When Casper was five years old, I and my wife gave him the first 50cc diesel engine, which he used to spin his first wheels. However, not only motorcycles were in his life, because he also trained football and rugby for the local team. Until we went to the track in Leicester for the first time. We also met the Sidyek family there - the boys immediately liked each other, and we and Sebastian (his father, ed.) Got in good contact. After this foray, my son didn't want to play anymore and started asking me to buy him a speedway motorcycle. After a few weeks of reflection, we ordered the first speedway - with a 125cc engine, junior frame and big wheels. We waited quite a long time for him, but in March last year, Casper started training.

In Great Britain there is no such complex concept as "training". Sebastian Sidyk does not hide that they can count on the support of many people, but on the whole they are stuck with each other. How is it in your case?

That's right, here in England it all looks a bit different than in Poland. There are no nurseries here, and we also do not have trainers to look after the youth. We do have sessions, however, that take place all over the UK and you usually find former players who never refuse to help. Casper started training at the mini track in Scunthorpe under the supervision of former player Wayne Carter. He is a man full of energy, who gets on his motorcycle during training and "chases" the guys around the track, motivating them to skid the rear wheel.

I am impressed with how hard Casper is working on the track, so he is making rapid progress. After only four months of riding, Carter decided it was time to start training on the big track. It's normal in England. Here the kids start to ride the big track very quickly. And it turned out that he was right. In the fall my son was already developing much faster speed and was starting to break the bike nicely and skid the wheel all over the bend.

Where do you train every day? Are you tied to a specific club?

No, we are not related to anyone. To train, we travel all over the UK and it often happens that when we leave on Friday, we only come back on Sunday. We try to ride as much as possible, especially in the season. We travel hundreds of miles to reach the cinder tracks and in most cases it is not profitable to go home and then get up at 5 am to go to the same place or even further. Here I should definitely thank my wife Monika, for supporting and tolerating our absence from home, and also for my daughter, who also supports my brother in what he does. The girls always help us, even if we get ready for our trips.

Can the son boast of his first, even such single successes?

Depends on how you look at it. It was actually the first season for him, but very intense, also in terms of the amount of training. He raced in the British Youth Championship in the 125-150cc class. He managed to take single places on the podium, such as in Plymouth (3rd place), in Edinburgh (also 3rd place). He also managed to win the first race there, so as you can guess, I jumped for joy like a child. In addition, Casper has also a third place in the Summer Championship at Scunthorpe. Casper, in turn, considers the most important cup the one handed by Jason Crump in Plymouth.

We are currently taking part in the Scunthorpe Winter Championship and after two rounds we are leading with full points. Another round will take place on Sunday, February 20.

And there are sports idols?

His idols whom he would like to follow are Bartosz Zmarzlik and Tai Woffinden.

You come from Blachownia in Częstochowa. Mr. Sebastian Sidyk said that your sons' dream is to compete in the colors of Włókniarz. Have you ever tried to contact Michał Świącik?

No, there have been no discussions and we are not looking that far into the future. For now, as a father, it's my job to make Casper get as much fun out of the slag as he can.

Possible starts in Poland are certainly great challenges and dedication. Mr. Sebastian Sidyk told me that they were ready for a possible move. You say it's a game for now, but for sure such decisions are also not made in "five minutes".

Yes, it's a big challenge and a dedication, but we already have that outline when we go out for weekend rides. Casper doesn't see his mother and sister all weekend. For now, we are training in the UK for sure, and as for the future, we have not decided.

Casper will soon be able to switch to a 250cc motorcycle. Do you take into account any starts in Poland, even single ones, e.g. during the holiday season?

Casper will be racing in the 125-150cc class for two more seasons, and by the age of twelve, he will switch to 250cc for the next two seasons. The plan is for him to ride the 500 at the age of fourteen. It is possible that Casper will appear in Poland in the 125cc competition. For now, we are only picking up the second 150cc motorcycle, and speedway is a very expensive sport and it's hard to deal with all your expenses without the help of other people. We are lucky to have met a very kind man, Mr. Jacek Ambroże - the owner of the largest Polish construction wholesaler in the UK, i.e. IBB Builders Merchants. This is our main sponsor, we would like to thank you for your support.

If I can take this opportunity, we would also like to thank our other partners: Polish Shop "Smakołyk", Restaurant "Slovianka" from Coventry. Casper also wants to thank Grandpa Robert and Grandma Beata for supporting him in his speedway development.

Casper with his sister and grandfather (photo: player's archive)

What are your starting plans for the 2022 season?

It's going to be a busy season: a minimum of 7 rounds of the British Youth Championships, 10 rounds of the Dirt Track Event, 12 rounds of the Summer Championship - six at Scunthorpe and six at Redcar. And 17 appearances after the matches of the Birmingham Brummies, because we organize additional races after the league matches, usually six races - three in 125 / 150cc and three in 250 / 500cc. In addition, Casper will compete in the North Junior League, because we accepted the invitation from Newcastle Sapphires. And, of course, training, so we will continue to drive as long as there is money for fuel.

Are there any specific goals you want to set in connection with competing in the British Championship?

Safe performances and promotion to the "Open" group, which is the fastest in the British Championships in the 125-150cc class. These are Casper's goals for the upcoming season.

I asked the same question to Mr. Sebastian, because reading a recent interview you get the impression that you are holding such a Polish bar on British soil with the Sidyk family. Does it mean for your sons, but it also means a lot to you that you are not alone in all this?

Yes, we stick with the Sidyk family on British soil. Not only on cinder tracks, but also privately. If there are two tournaments or training sessions in one place, we set up a campsite under the speedway track and we stay overnight.

Today, Kacper is accompanied by two flags - Polish and British. Do your first thoughts appear, what to do next? Will we ever see Kacper with an eagle on a plastron only?

So far, Casper rides with two flags, but also a lion of Włókniarz on Kevlar, It is possible that the Polish eagle will also appear. Thanks to her origin, she can have both a British and Polish passport.

I would like to take this opportunity to encourage readers to follow us on Facebook, where you can find us on the Casper Kluczniak Racing # 505 profile. In addition, if someone would like to support their son in his development and join the group of sponsors, please contact us.