FOUR years ago, a 19-year-old Pole by the name of Maciej Janowski arrived in Britain to take his first skids in Elite League racing.

Regarded as a highly-promising youngster in his homeland having helped Poland to successive World Under-21 Team Cups amongst a string of honours, Janowski was nonetheless little-known to supporters in Britain.

The teenager had been signed by Swindon as a mid-season replacement for the banned Thomas H Jonasson and took his place in a team drifting around the lower reaches of the top-flight standings.

Three points against Ipswich and four against Wolverhampton was an inauspicious start but the Wroclaw-born rider’s watershed moment came in his third meeting at Lakeside one September night.

Janowski’s familiarity with the wide, sweeping tracks of Poland was such that when he turned up at the Arena-Essex Raceway, he thought the stock car circuit around the edge of the speedway track was what he was to race on.

But after a gentle nudge in the right direction from team manager Ronnie Russell, Janowski was set right. He went on to score 11 paid 14 from six rides, a sterling return that prompted Russell to label him ‘Magic’.

It was a nickname that stuck. After spending the majority of 2011 at Swindon and 2012 at King’s Lynn, Janowski’s stock had risen sufficiently for Pirates promoter Matt Ford to sign him as a permanent asset in exchange for Jason Doyle.

And this was where the British career of the up-and-coming charger – his first name is pronounced ‘mah-chek’ for the record – really took off.

In his debut season in Poole kevlars he totalled 253 points from 144 rides and scored 14 paid 18 across two grand final legs as Pirates crushed Birmingham.

Having raised his average from 6.16 to 6.95, Janowski was brought back for the current campaign. In recent weeks, he has discovered the form of his life.

The displays of the 2011 world under-21 champion led to him being handed the role of stand-in captain for the second time this season in the absence of the suspended Darcy Ward. And Janowski admits he is revelling in life on the track.

“I think British speedway and has helped me a lot with my racing and how I feel on the bike, especially now I have ridden a lot of meetings at Poole,” he said.

“It has been good for me in terms of learning lines and learning how to race. I really like racing in England and I’m just surprised that more Polish riders don’t want to come over because it is a really good school.

“I want to be the best every time and I’m angry when I don’t score good points. But even if you are racing behind someone you are still learning. This is speedway and you can’t always be the best.

“My first year in Swindon was not like down here. I usually only scored five points or seven points, but it was a step towards me being a better rider.

“A lot of people in Poland are afraid about England. They say that it’s a very weak league but if someone comes here and races, then we can talk, because it is really hard. It’s completely different to speedway in Sweden or Poland.”

Janowski, who turned 23 a month ago, may have been criticised for inconsis-tency at times during the past four years, but no one can dispute the quality of his recent form.

Averaging 11 points a meeting since the start of August, Janowski is well and truly on the gas, even if he cannot pinpoint exactly why.

“I have used the same setup all year and it’s working,” said Janowski.

“My mechanic has done a really good job on the bike and Peter Johns has made a fantastic job of my engine as well.

“If you have a good engine you can try something when you are behind and it makes it easier to pass. I don’t look against the riders that I’m racing. I just focus on myself and how fast I can drop the clutch.

“Almost everything is about the start. If you make a good start then it’s much easier.”

Shy and softly-spoken upon his initial arrival in England, Janowski’s increased confidence has allowed his playful personality to roam free.

Part of that confidence stemmed from gaining a grasp of the language and learning to express himself to team-mates and rivals.

Janowski, who stays with Poole chief Ford on his trips over, continued: “England is a good place to come to prepare for your whole life. There aren’t too many Polish people around so you have to learn the language and take care of yourself.

“I learned the language with my friends. It’s funny because I never had English lessons in school, only German.

“I can say some things in English but even having studied German for nine years, I don’t remember anything!”