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He Had Only Three Months’ Professional Bus Driving Experience. Now He’s Poland’s Champion – Mateusz Tuzinowski Wins at TRANSEXPO
Speed was not the objective. Drivers had to manoeuvre their buses precisely between obstacles, pull into a bus bay, approach a fuel pump, reverse into a garage and tackle a ‘bowling’ challenge, in which they had to knock down specific objects with a bus wheel without disturbing the others.
Every mistake incurred penalty points. In many challenges, judges brought out their tape measures as soon as the bus stopped. Drivers therefore needed not only to know the dimensions of their vehicle, but also to judge distances accurately from the cab and decide exactly when to end each manoeuvre.
The pressure added another layer of difficulty. Outside assistance was prohibited – even a gesture from someone standing behind the barrier could be considered assistance to a competitor and result in disqualification.
“For me, the winner is the person who is least nervous and feels the least pressure. Everyone here has the ability,” said Robert Owczarzak, chief judge of the competition and President of the Polish Trucker Club Association, summing up the event after the driving challenges had ended.
The Champion Is No Longer a Professional Bus Driver
The competitor who handled all nine challenges best was Mateusz Tuzinowski from Łomża. His victory is all the more remarkable because he does not currently work as a bus driver. He is a category B driving instructor.
He has held a bus driving licence for four years, but worked professionally behind the wheel of a bus for only around three months, in the Netherlands. Before that, he drove lorries and also gained experience competing in international professional driving competitions.
“For me, it makes no difference whether a vehicle is longer or shorter. If it has four wheels, I can handle it,” Mateusz Tuzinowski said after his victory.
He now plans to extend his instructor qualifications to cover lorries and buses, with a view to training the next generation of drivers.
Four Women in the Final. Katarzyna Wojdanowicz Takes Third Place
Four women were among the 18 finalists. The best performance came from Katarzyna Wojdanowicz, who finished third overall.
Rafał Rusiecki took second place.
The Top Six at the Polish Professional Bus Drivers’ Championship
- Mateusz Tuzinowski
- Rafał Rusiecki
- Katarzyna Wojdanowicz
- Robert Rutkowski
- Szymon Kornacki
- Marcin Majchrzak
The winner received a prize worth PLN 5,000, the runner-up PLN 3,500, and the third-place competitor PLN 2,500. Competitors finishing in fourth to sixth place each received PLN 1,000. The prizes were sponsored by the Polish Chamber of Road Transport and Forwarding (PIGTSiS).
18 Finalists Selected Through Three Qualifying Routes
Eighteen competitors qualified for the final at Expo Kielce. Six places were secured through qualifying rounds in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski and another six in Starogard Gdański, while the remaining six finalists qualified through online rounds.
The final, held during TRANSEXPO, was also one of the events marking the end of PKS's 80th-anniversary celebrations in Poland. Here are a few photos from the competition.
(BB)
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