Max Fricke. fot. Jarosław Pabijan
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The upcoming season  will be special for Belle Due star, Max Fricke. The Australian is to lead the polish team for the first time and lead Stelmet Falubaz Zielona Góra to a quick return to PGE Ekstraliga. In an interview with PoBandzie.com.pl, he talks about his new role, admits that he is very happy that he will have more starts this year and openly talks about the strength of the team from Zielona Góra.

The 2022 season will be your second in Stelmet Falubaza Zielona Góra. You fell out of the league last year. Club authorities had a difficult task to convince you to stay in the club?

We talked a lot about my starting options for the upcoming season. I feel very well at the club from Zielona Góra and I was persuaded to stay. There are already many good races behind me in the colors of Falubaz. I’m excited to continue racing for this team. There is a new task ahead of the club now, but I think we are ready for it.

You did not ask the club for permission to move to PGE Ekstraliga? After the 2021 season, there was a place in the team from Leszno or Grudziądz …

As I mentioned, there were a lot of these conversations with the club and my team. I had a two-year contract here and after analyzing it, we decided that staying with Falubaz would be the best option for me.

We have the end of February, which is the last part of preparations for the season. How did this preparatory period look like for you this year?

In the last two years, due to the coronavirus pandemic, it looks a bit different than usual. Earlier, I was returning to Australia, and now – like last year – I have decided to stay in Europe. The environment in the place where I live is very conducive to preparations. I have many good places for jogging and cycling. I have mountains under my nose and it also helps me in training. Now I changed the vibe a bit. I am in Poland, I work all the time on my form and I do what I do.

You are about to start the training camp in Świnoujście. What can you say about this location for a training camp?

Been there last year and the place seems quite quiet. However, it is possible that there were fewer people there due to the pandemic. This year we will probably meet a few more people there. It’s quite cold there, but a good location to train together and spend a few days with the teammates.

Everyone, starting with the club’s management and ending with the fans, counts on you a lot. Do you feel like you are ready to be a team leader? Last year you had Patryk Dudek in your team, and before that, you rode in Betard Sparta with Tai Woffinden or Maciej Janowski …

My role this year will actually be a bit different, but my plan is the same as usual. I want to score as many points as I can in every game. My task is to contribute to the best result of the team. So the role of the leader does not change anything. I hope that there will be a lot of my points in each game, but in my head I focus mainly on winning each subsequent race.

The team changed a bit during the transfer window. What can you say about the squad that has been built for the upcoming struggle?

I think we have a really good chance of winning the first league. There is a lot of experience in this team. We have “PePe”, Krzysztof, there is also me and Rohan. The transfer of Rohan, who has a lot of experience in this league, may be a big plus. Our young players can also do a lot. Overall, I think we have a very strong team. It is important that we are lucky, that we can leave this season healthy and it should be good. We have to do our job.

Due to the decline of Falubaz, you were given the opportunity to sign in one more league. Is a renewed contract with Belle Vue Aces an important issue for you?

Definitely yes. I missed riding in this team. I’m one of those players who like to be busy during the season. For me, driving a lot in many clubs in different countries and adding the Grand Prix to it is a normal thing. In the previous years, a lot of speedway riders decided to take part in a large number of starts. My idols, Jason Crump and Leigh Adams, did this too. I am happy that there will be a lot of driving this year. I am looking forward to these many starts.

It’s no secret that as a team, as Falubaz, you are aiming for promotion to PGE Ekstraliga. Another year of fighting in the individual world championship will also be very important to you. Which place in the table at the end of the season will please you this time?

The Grand Prix is ​​a different competition than the others. The stakes in this competition are really strong. I do not set myself a specific goal in the table. Of course I would like to win every round, but you have to be realistic about that. I want to go to the semi-finals every round because it is crucial. When you are in the semi-finals, you are close to getting a really nice number of points from the tournament. I will try to score as many points as possible and we will see what position this brings me at the end of the year.

Thank you for the conversation.