Adam Skorniki

More commonly known as the ‘donut’ king for his on track trickery, Adam Skornicki is one of a number of Polish riders to add his name to the Belle Vue rider history. But his signature for 2007 perhaps came as another surprise to fans, particularly as he seemed destined to be reunited with Oxford for another season.
The 30 year old portrays a quiet, shy and reserved exterior. He saves his talking for the track where he displays a flamboyant character. He is very well respected by his colleagues and he has been a hit with speedway fans wherever he has been.
Adam, or Sqora, from Wolstyn in Poland was first snapped up by Wolverhampton on the British circuit in 2000. It is his stay with the Wolves that he will be most associated with and he joins the Aces on loan from the Midlands club who remain owners of his contract. He was an ever present member of the Wolves side and stayed loyal to them until the beginning of 2005, when he was told that there would be no room for him in their team plans.
It wasn’t long before Wolverhampton came unstuck when David Howe got injured. One phone call to Adam and he was drafted back in, but he would again find himself dropped by Wolves when Howe made his return. In August 2005, Adam stepped into the Arena Essex, now Lakeside, team to deputise for the injured Josh Larsen.
Last year, Skornicki joined Oxford under new Cheetahs boss Aaron Lanney and was captained by his former Wolves team mate David Howe. He also based himself in England to concentrate on his Elite League racing, opting out of riding in his home country although he remained an ever present in the Polish National Championships, making it into the final in this year.
But again, Adam found himself without a secured team place in England during the winter, despite agreeing another season with the Sandy Lane club. He had turned down an early approach to join the Aces but turned it down having already committed himself to Oxford, but he was to learn of his axing in order to make room for his fellow countryman Piotr Protasiewicz. In another acrimonious split, Adam became angered by comments coming from the Oxford camp regarding his contract demands and after another phone call from the new Belle Vue owners, Adam flew over from Poland to sign the papers. He will also ride on the continent this year.
His love for small tracks is a skill that Belle Vue will hope he takes advantage of when he rides at Kirkmanshulme Lane in 2007. He has often described as a crowd pleaser with great enthusiasm for his racing and on a five point average, the Aces believe they have bagged a bargain. He is now calling on the Polish community in Manchester to join the Kirky Lane terraces shouting ‘Jestes wspanialy Adam!’