Practice will hopefully make perfect for new Peterborough Panthers rider

For someone who is used to the sometimes ruthless and barbaric team selection in Poland where the use of squads usually means a spell on the sidelines after failing to score in a meeting, it was an obvious question.

But Panthers will be keeping faith with the 24-year-old who had to go into his first race without any prior experience of the East of England Arena track.

Wojdylo revealed: “I like the track but it is not the same in Poland where you always have a practice before the meeting. I didn’t have any practice at all and it was very difficult for me. The problem with no practice is you do not know the set-up needed for your bike.”

Wojdylo ran three lasts, but stayed long after most of his colleagues had returned to the dressing room to put in some laps, along with teammates Ben Basso and Jordan Jenkins.

And when he returned to the pits he felt much happier, claiming: “I have learnt a lot by doing those extra laps.”

Panthers’ manager Rob Lyon wasn’t rushing to give an instant verdict on the new signing who replaced Panthers’ legend Hans Andersen.

Lyon said: “It’s hard to say what he will do, he was thrown in the deep end with no practice and he spent all night chasing a set-up. He had some laps after the meeting and he knows he needs stronger engines for the Showground, it’s all part of the learning process, isn’t it?

“I’m sure once he gets dialled in he will be okay. You can’t take anything from his debut, you need to see him over a period of matches but he liked the track so we will see.”

Wojdylo did have the advantage of riding his own equipment even though most fans who left at the end of the meeting were convinced he borrowed one of 2021 World Champion Artem Laguta’s bikes.

But the Pole explained: “I brought my bikes with me, but I didn’t have any team bike covers or the front fork covers so Artem let me have his for the night. I hope I will have mine for the next meeting.

“I am looking forward to the rest of the season. I have been riding for seven years. I was in the Polish Ekstraliga with Wroclaw for two years, I had two seasons in the Second League [Poland’s third tier] at Krosno and now I am riding for Rybnik in the First League (second division).”

One of his teammates there is King’s Lynn skipper Nicolai Klindt who was helping him acclimatise on Monday night.

His surprise signing was completed last Friday after Vadim Tarasenko’s manager recommended him as a promising young prospect who was keen to race in Britain and club owner Keith Chapman sealed the deal quickly.

Added Lyon: “Patryk gets by with his English and it will get better because he has got Tarasenko to help translate. Buster spoke to him and he was keen to come and basically it went from there really.

“Like a few riders, you discuss the possibility of them coming to the UK but it doesn’t always come to anything. This one seemed to develop in a positive way and you have to make decisions on what you are going to do.”

Wojdylo said: “I only spoke to Peterborough one week ago, so it has all been very fast. I am racing in Sweden at Eskilstuna on Wednesday and at Zielona Gora on Sunday and then will catch the flight back to England on Monday.

“I am single and, for me, it has been my ambition to race in England from maybe one year ago, I sent messages for all the teams because I want to be a top rider and England can help me.”