ŽAGAR, Matej
DATE OF BIRTH: 3 April 1983, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
BRITISH CAREER: (2003) Trelawny; (2004-07) Reading; (2009) Swindon; (2010) Eastbourne.
MAJOR HONOURS: Slovenian Champion: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010; European Under-19 Champion: 2002; European Champion: 2004, 2008.
RIDER LINKS: Son of Franci Zagar (born: 12 July 1951, Ljubljana, Slovenia).
2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 9.15 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: Žagar received a 28-day ban from the BSPA in 2007 after missing the prestigious Elite League Riders’ Championship at King’s Lynn on 30 August. This came after the Slovenian ace had also been absent from a number of Reading’s away fixtures during a troubled season for the Berkshire club. Having missed the entire UK campaign in 2008, Žagar made a return to the British scene late in May 2009, when he was signed by Swindon as a temporary replacement for the injured Troy Batchelor.

However, after a string of sizzling performances for the Robins – including unbeaten returns at Ipswich (15) and Coventry (14+1) – it was announced in June that Žagar would remain with the club for the remainder of the season, whilst Batchelor was made available for loan elsewhere. The Slovenian’s efforts helped Swindon reach the Play-off final where they were ultimately beaten by Wolverhampton, but his high average meant he couldn’t be accommodated within the Wiltshire side’s team plans for the following season.

As such, at the end of November, Eastbourne announced that they had recruited Žagar’s services for 2010. And he courted controversy with the Eagles when, on 1 and 5 July, respectively, he missed home matches against Coventry and Peterborough because of hay fever yet, in the time between those fixtures, he appeared on a couple of occasions in Poland. The rider received a one-match ban from the BSPA and was also fined £500 for not providing a medical certificate. The Slovenian claimed that air travel aggravated his hay fever and that he’s been advised not to fly.

Žagar was injured in heat five of the Eagles’ league visit to Coventry on 23 July. This occurred when team-mate Tomasz Jędrzejak had locked-up and fallen, with the Eastbourne No. 1 unable to avoid ploughing into him, having cut-back hard on the second turn. Although he rode in the re-run, he was subsequently withdrawn on doctor’s orders and taken to hospital with a wrist injury.

The Slovenian reportedly picked-up a further injury in Poland on 22 August, before finally returning to action for the Eagles in a home match against Ipswich on 2 September. He went on to help Eastbourne reach the Knock-Out final where they were narrowly beaten by Poole on aggregate. At the season’s end, the Slovenian ace had ridden in twenty-eight official matches for the club, scoring 270 points for an average of 8.29 and indicated that he would like to remain with the East Sussex club in 2011.

FIM Speedway Grand Prix Record:
Grand Prix ridden: 27 – 33rd on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix Points: 201 – 30th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix races: 144 – 29th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix race wins: 25 – 29th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix wins: 0 – n/a      
Grand Prix finals: 3 – 31st on SGP all-time list

FIM Speedway World Cup Record:
SWC tournaments: 3
Events: 3 – 4th on Slovenia’s list; 96th on SWC all-time list
Points: 28 – 1st on Slovenia’s list; 67th on SWC all-time list
Finals: 0
Gold medals: 0

ZENGOTA, Grzegorz
DATE OF BIRTH: 29 August 1988, Zielona Gora, Poland.
BRITISH CAREER: (2010) Swindon.
MAJOR HONOURS: World Under-21 Team Cup winner: 2008, 2009.
2010 STARTING AVERAGE: 5.00 (EL).
ADDITIONAL INFO: ‘Zengi’, as he is nicknamed, had been on the radar for a British berth for sometime, but it was Swindon who claimed his cherished signature for a 2010 start in the UK; the Wiltshire club revealing the news on 14 December after the rider has spent a weekend visiting the area and weighing up the Blunsdon raceway. The Pole first represented his hometown club, Zielona Gora, in 2004 and has been on their books ever since. He has also raced abroad for Avesta (Sweden) in 2007, Berlin (Germany) in 2007 and Holsted (Denmark) in 2008. He grabbed headline coverage in both 2008 and 2009, when he helped Poland to victory in the World Under-21 Team Cup, with scores of 8 and 13 points, respectively, in the finals at Holsted and Gorzow. The 2009 campaign also saw the fast-rising youngster net an 8-point tally to finish seventh in the World Under-21 Championship at Gorican, Croatia, whilst he took victory in the prestigious Polish Silver Helmet, courtesy of a 14-point haul at Czestochowa.

FIM Speedway Grand Prix Record:
Grand Prix ridden: 1 – 145th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix points: 0 – n/a
Grand Prix races: 1 – 145th on SGP all-time list
Grand Prix race wins: 0 – n/a
Grand Prix wins: 0 – n/a