Speedway GP legend Jaroslaw Hampel insists he won’t dwell on might have been after hanging up his racing boots at the end of last season.
The six-time FIM Speedway World Cup winner called time on a career that saw him win six Speedway GP rounds, as well as two-time SGP World Championship silver medals and one bronze.
His Speedway GP career was cruelly cut short by a crash at Event 1 of the 2015 FIM Speedway World Cup in Gniezno, which left him with a severely fractured leg. While Hampel returned to league action, he did not compete at SGP level following the crash.
He departed the 2015 series while still in championship contention. But Hampel doesn’t look back with regrets at what might have been.
He told Sportowefakty.pl: “I feel fulfilled as an athlete. I don't dwell on what I didn't achieve. I also don't think about what the injury in 2015 took away from me, or whether, if not for that leg fracture, I would have become world champion.
“There was a risk of becoming disabled. I'm even more glad that I returned to the sport for almost a decade, maybe not at the highest level, but at a very good level. It has been better, sometimes worse, but overall, I'm happy that I was still fit and able to continue in the sport.”
Asked what he plans to do next, Hampel admitted he plans to take some time away from racing while he figures out his next move.
He added: “There were conversations about what I could do. Some ideas have been floated, but I won't go into specifics at this point.
“Firstly, I don't want to, and secondly, I don't have any specific plans. I'm taking it very seriously. After three decades of speedway racing, it's too early to make any declarations. It's only the first winter. I might want to stay away from speedway for a while longer.”
Hampel is keen to find out how much he misses the sport. He added: “Whether it's so much that I want to return to speedway in a different role, or maybe not so much and I'll just watch from the sidelines, I don’t know. I'm really taking it easy. Maybe in a year I'll be able to say more. Right now, I feel like I need to completely disconnect from motorsport. I want a break from it.
“I now have more time for my other passions, like diving. I'm very happy that this time has come. I want to use my sports retirement to travel more recreationally, but also actively, including, of course, the speedway season.
"I'll see what an independent life looks like, unencumbered by speedway schedules.”