Stefan Kwoczała
Stefan Kwoczała (15 June 1934 – 7 July 2019) was a Polish motorcycle speedway rider. He won the Polish championship in 1959 and reached the World Final in 1960, placing 7th.[1]
| Born | 15 June 1934 Kiedrzyn, Poland |
|---|---|
| Died | 7 July 2019 (aged 85) Częstochowa, Poland |
| Nationality | Polish |
| Career history | |
| 1955-1961 | Włókniarz Częstochowa (POL) |
| 1960 | Leicester Hunters (UK) |
| Individual honours | |
| 1959 | Polish champion |
| Team honours | |
| 1959 | Polish League |
Career
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.[2] 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.[2]
Kwoczała also rode in the National League in the UK in 1960 for Leicester Hunters.[3]
His career ended after suffering a fractured skull in a crash at Kraków in 1961 during the Golden Helmet competition.[2] After retiring from racing he moved into coaching riders at Włókniarz Częstochowa and Gwardia Łódź.[3][4]
Death
Stefan Kwoczała died in Częstochowa during the night of 6/7 July 2019, aged 85.[2]
References
- Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). A History of the World Speedway Championship. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-2402-5
- Kozanecki, Mateusz (2019) "Nie żyje legenda częstochowskiego żużla. Stefan Kwoczała miał 85 lat", sportowefakty.pl, 7 July 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019
- 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
- Rajek, Mateusz (2019) "Stefan Kwoczała nie żyje", radiofon.fm, 8 July 2019. Retrieved 10 July 2019