Since 2009, the famous Motoarena has been the unchanging home of the PRES GRUPA DEPELOPERSKA Toruń. In the 2026 season, it will once again host the Team Polish Champions. Despite the passage of years, the Marian Rose Motoarena is still considered the best and hosts the most significant speedway competitions in the world. How have the people of Toruń fared on it over the years?
The Marian Rose Motoarena in Toruń has served local speedway riders and more for nearly 17 years. During this time, the stadium has seen almost everything – from the most important national competitions to international tournaments. On a daily basis, it is the home venue for PRES GRUPA DEWELOPERSKA Toruń, which has celebrated both its greatest successes and defeats here.
The stadium’s opening took place on May 3, 2009, as part of the 4th round PGE Ekstraliga match between the new hosts and FOGO UNIA Leszno. The then title defenders, with Chris Holder, Ryan Sullivan, and Adrian Miedziński in their lineup, defeated Leszno 48:42 and inaugurated the Motoarena, accommodating 15,506 spectators, which replaced the legendary, now non-existent stadium on Broniewskiego 98. Toruń’s first season at the new stadium ended with a silver medal, after which it seemed the team wouldn’t wait long for another gold in its history. However, as it turned out, the journey for the fifth DMP title would take them 17 years.
In the meantime, specifically on June 19, 2010, Toruń hosted a Grand Prix cycle round for the first time, which was extremely successful for Polish representatives, as not only the highest podium step was white and red, but also the other two lower ones – the event was won by Tomasz Gollob, second was Rune Holta, and third Jarosław Hampel. Two years later, the Motoarena debuted as the venue for the „coronation” of a new world speedway champion, who at that time was later to become a legend of the local club, Chris Holder. The stadium also witnessed five championship titles by Bartosz Zmarzlik, and the Grand Prix rounds in Toruń were absent from the speedway calendar only in 2025, in favor of the Speedway of Nations competitions. Until then, the Grand Prix took place in Toruń 17 times. More World Individual Championships in this format have been hosted only by four cities.
As already mentioned, the Motoarena has experienced failures along with successes. One of the biggest, which the Toruń venue witnessed, was the local team’s relegation to the second tier of national competition in the 2019 season. This was the first and so far only relegation in the club’s history after its promotion to the elite in 1975. However, the people of Toruń quickly returned to their deserved place and firmly stayed in the PGE Ekstraliga, and they won their first medal after promotion just two years later.
After two consecutive bronze medals, the „Magic of the Motoarena” began to work on the speedway riders of PRES GRUPA DEWELOPERSKA Toruń with doubled force. In the 2025 season, the club noted the second-best average attendance in the league, which was as high as 13,029 spectators per match and was growing from game to game. The culmination of the golden year was the final against ORLEN OIL MOTOR Lublin. The hosts defeated the title defenders 54:36, and then defended an eighteen-point advantage in Lublin, winning the first Team Polish Championship title in the Motoarena’s history.
Altogether, PRES GRUPA DEWELOPERSKA Toruń has won eight Team Polish Championship medals at the now 17-year-old stadium, including one gold, three silver, and four bronze medals.
Marcin Rusewicz
