Maciej Janowski was barely out of his pram when he was perched on the seats lining the terraces of Wroclaw’s Olympic Stadium.
Speedway in Poland was just being opened up to an exciting new world as it emerged from beyond the Iron Curtain.
An influx of overseas superstars flocked to the country as it emerged from the grips of communism.
Janowski’s father, Piotr, was an avid fan and wanted his three sons to be involved.
“When I was one and a half, my Dad took me and my brothers to the track in Wroclaw,” he says.
“For a couple of years he used to take us all the time to watch, then when I was 13, I was able to try it for myself.
“I have a lot of good memories in that stadium.”
As soon as they were old enough, the three boys jumped onto two wheels themselves.
It was Maciej who proved a cut above the rest and quickly made a name for himself as he blasted around the 387m shale track on his bike with no brakes.
At a tired old stadium built in 1928 whilst Wroclaw was still known as Breslau and part of Germany, a young Janowski offered a glimpse into an exciting future.
Nowadays, Wroclaw’s Olympic Stadium is a modern, state-of-the-art venue, whilst retaining the charm which earned its designer, Richard Konwiarz, a bronze medal in the art competition of the 1932 Olympic Games and gave the stadium its name.
Recent renovations ensured that one of the most historic speedway stadiums in the world returned to the Speedway Grand Prix calendar for the first time in over a decade in 2019.
Last year, at the second attempt, Janowski lived the moment he has dreamed of as he climbed to the top step of the podium in front of an adoring home crowd at the venue where he grew up.
“That’s crazy,” he says when asked what a young Janowski would have thought if he could’ve foreseen that moment.
“I was dreaming about that moment many times as a kid.
“Even when I competed with my brothers on push bikes, we used to race around outside my grandma’s house and pretend we were racing in moments like that.
“To be on that top step in Wroclaw, it was a dream come true. We’ve done a lot of hard work to get to this point, to get this meeting in Wroclaw.
“To see all the work that has gone in to get to this point, then win in Wroclaw, it was a very special memory for me.”
Few have been as important to the Wroclaw resurgence as Janowski.
Thrust into the senior team just five days after his 16th birthday back in 2007, he started his top flight career with a race win.
Instantly, he became the face of Wroclaw’s future and that of Polish speedway as he established himself as a top junior prospect.
Inevitably, that created pressure, and for a time it seemed he may struggle to convert his promise to success at the very highest level.
“When I was young, I put big pressure on myself,” he admits.
“But my father always said to me, if you would like to do that, I will support you. He never put any pressure on me or my brothers, it always came from myself.
“You maybe feel a little bit of pressure from the club or the fans, but it was mostly pressure from myself.”
As one of the biggest stars in a sport which attracts the highest average attendances of any in Poland, Janowski is a household name in many parts of the country, particularly his home city.
“In a lot of places, people recognise me but I’m not a person who tries to shine or stand out,” he says.
“I try to hide as much as I can and just live like normal, but it’s very nice in Wroclaw. Everyone is nice to me, they’re my people, it’s cool.”
After six years as a Speedway Grand Prix regular, finishing fourth on four occasions, he has kicked-on in 2021 and is in the form of his life.
He won the opening round in Prague a fortnight ago before reaching the final the following night to emerge at the top of the standings.
“It was a great weekend,” he says. “I’ve been struggling on that track the last couple of years, struggling to make the final.
“But everything was working perfect, my bikes were very quick on the track so I was able to make some passes and get two good results.”
As he returns to Wroclaw as the world championship leader, Janowski and his entire team will have the benefit of home comforts.
It very much remains a family affair, and team Janowski will enter rounds three and four tonight and tomorrow (Friday and Saturday) desperate to replicate last year’s success.
“Two of my brothers work with me,” Janowski says. “My father spends more time at home now, but he’s always someone that’s around for me and ready to help.
“It will be great to be racing at Wroclaw, at home again, and I hope we can score some more good points.”
Aside from his family, Janowski also has the benefit of four-time world champion Greg Hancock in his corner.
Janowski grew up helping Hancock’s mechanic, Raf Haj.
“When I started being around the speedway, I started to help Greg’s mechanic, Raf, prepare the bikes,” he recalls.
“He taught me a lot of stuff - how to clean bikes and work with the bikes and then Greg helped me a lot with my starts, my riding technique
Nowadays, Haj is part of Janowski’s team, whilst the American icon is working on a consultancy basis with Wroclaw and still giving his young protege advice.
“Now he’s in Wroclaw, he’s helping young riders get better and we’ve spoken a lot,” Janowski states. “We spend a lot of time together and he has huge experience.
“It’s always good to talk with Greg, ask him about some technical stuff and he’s always ready to help. It’s great to have him on my side.”
Having ticked a Wroclaw win off the bucket list last year, Janowski’s end goal is simple: become world champion.
Two rounds in his hometown represent a huge opportunity to seize the initiative in the quest to make that dream reality.
Having won three Speedway World Cup gold medals as part of Poland’s golden generation, what would individual glory mean?
“I will tell you that when I’ve won it,” he says.
On current form, it would be hard to look past Janowski being in a position to finally provide an answer when the season draws to a close.
